of this message, the riches of
full assurance. He speaks of the riches of full
assurance. If you ask me, do you have absolute
full assurance that you know God? that you've been saved by
his grace, that Christ died for you. If you ask me that question,
I'd say, yes, I do. But you know what would pop up
in my head immediately? Are you sure? Are you sure? What about? And
then I could name a thousand different things. The word full
assurance means entire confidence. The entire confidence, the fullness
of assurance. Lack of confidence or lack of
assurance is a very debilitating thing. I think all of us have
probably had vehicles that we didn't have any assurance of,
any confidence in. And we've been out in them and
we've been cringing, afraid they're going to break down because of
some mechanical problems. Perhaps you've been in a situation
where you have no confidence that you know how to perform
a task that's expected of you, and you feel like you're in a
position that's way above your head. I remember when I worked
at the University of Kentucky, I mean, I am so ignorant when
it comes to computers, even now, but you should have seen back
then, in 1988, I got sent to Emory University to take these
computer classes that I was supposed to be able to come back and teach
the graphic artists how to use them. I didn't go to the classes.
I mean, I felt so totally, I just, I was just totally intimidated
by that. I felt like I was altogether
over my head. You know what it is to lack confidence
in a person that they're telling you the truth, that they're being
honest with you, and you don't know how they're going to misconstrue
what you're saying and use it and you don't feel confidence
in that person. Now the most fearful lack of
confidence is lack of confidence or lack of assurance in your
spiritual condition. That's a horrible thing. Do you
really believe you're a Christian? You're nothing more than a hypocrite.
That's it. The doubts, the fears you possess,
the things you think, the things you do, the sins, the familiar
sins that you fall back into repeatedly. And you call yourself
a Christian? Lack of assurance in anything
is debilitating, but particularly that Paul says in verse 1 of Colossians
chapter 2 to the Colossians, he said, for I would that you
knew what great conflict I have for you and for them it glad
to see you. And as for many as have not seen
my face in the flesh. Now he tells the Colossians,
I want you to know how much I love you. Now he'd never seen him.
He'd never met him in the flesh. But yet he knew they loved Christ. He knew that God had done something
for him. He'd been given this news and he loved him. And if
you're a believer, if I'm a believer, anybody that loves Christ, we
love, don't we? We really love that person. We're
fans of that person. He said, I want you to know of
the concern and care I have for you, even though you haven't
seen my face in the flesh and you've never met me. Verse two,
that their hearts might be comforted. I want your hearts to be comforted. Now the heart is the whole man. It's the understanding. It's
the affections. It's the will. And Paul says
to these people, I want your heart to be comforted. I want
you to have the comfort of God in your heart by the gospel.
Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 40 for a moment. You're familiar
with this passage of scripture. But there's something, looking
at it again, there was something that just thrilled me about these
two verses in Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah said, comfort ye. Comfort ye my people, saith your
God. Speak ye comfortably, and my
marginal reading says, to the heart of Jerusalem. And cry unto
her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. Now what thrilled me so
much is a word that was not in there. You won't find the word if in
that verse of scripture. It doesn't say her warfare is
accomplished if. or that her iniquity is pardoned,
if, or she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all of
her sins, if. As a matter of fact, it speaks
of something that's already done. She's already received double
for all her sins. Now that speaks to my understanding.
I understand when I read that verse of scripture that it's
finished. Do you understand that? Not only does it speak to my
understanding, it speaks to my affections. I'm so thankful it's
that way. It makes me want to give myself
completely to Him. It speaks to my affections and
it speaks to my will. You know, this is the way I want
it. You know, exactly the way it says, this is the way I want
it. Oh, the comfort of the gospel
to the heart, the mind, the understanding, the affections and the will.
And let's go on reading, that their hearts might be comforted
being knit together, joined together in love. You know, there's nothing
more comforting than true and genuine unity. Having the heart
knit together in love. Error is divisive. It divides. Sin is divisive. It divides. Something that divides
God's people, that sets them up to be judges and critics of
each other, is of the devil. But what a blessing is true unity,
hearts being knit together in love. Love for Christ. You know, I really do love him. All of God's people love him.
We love His person. I think of what the Lord said
to Peter after Peter had fallen. He said, Peter, He didn't say,
are you sorry? He didn't say, do you promise
to never do this again? He said, do you love me? Do you love my person? People who love the Lord Jesus
Christ, they love him as he is, they love him as he's revealed
in his word, their hearts are knit together. There's a true
unity of spirit. Our Lord said, by this shall
all men know you're my disciples, by your love one to another. Now unity with God's people is
so comforting and it's so strengthening. And here's what encourages and
strengthens the heart. that their hearts might be comforted,
verse two, being knit together in love unto all riches of the
full assurance of understanding. To the acknowledgement of the
mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now, full assurance. Full assurance. Many times when I believe I've
had full assurance, as I'm speaking to you now, I have assurance.
There are other times when if you would ask me, do you have
full assurance that you're saved? Do you know that God's going
to work a grace in your heart? I would say, well, I hope so.
I hope so, and do I have full assurance? Well, I'll start thinking
about this, and I'll start thinking about that, and I'll start thinking
about the other, and I'll start thinking maybe you're deceived.
Maybe you've deceived yourself. Who hadn't trembled at that passage
of scripture where our Lord says in Matthew chapter seven, many,
not just a few, not the minority, but many shall say unto me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not preached in your name? And
in your name have we not cast out demons, and in your name
have we not done many wonderful works? And then shall I profess
to them, depart from me ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. Now which of us has not trembled
at the thought of that happening to us? that even though we thought
perhaps we knew him, we might find out at the end we don't. And we'll hear those awful words. Full assurance. Now, listen to
this. Listen to this distinction. It's
very important. Faith is knowing he's the Savior. Assurance is
knowing you're saved. knowing he's the Savior. Assurance
is knowing you're saved. Now if you have assurance because
you are like blank blank blank, I do this, I do that, I believe
this, I believe that, therefore I must be saved. If you have
assurance like that, let me assure you it's a false assurance. It's
not something that the Lord gave you. It's something you've given
yourself and it's not real. Now, remember those distinctions.
Faith is believing he's the Savior. Assurance is believing you're
saved. Now, you can have faith, true
saving faith, without having assurance. Did you know that? You can. And I've got a scriptural
example. You remember that Ethiopian eunuch,
he heard Philip preach the gospel. He preached from Isaiah 53. The
scripture says he preached unto him Jesus. And he heard what
he was saying. And he believed what he was saying.
He was rejoicing in what he was saying. And then all of a sudden,
they come up to water. And he says, see, here's water.
What hinders me from being baptized? Now, obviously, he thought, maybe
I shouldn't. Maybe I'm not really saved. Maybe
I need to know more. Maybe I need to understand more. Maybe I need to have more, some
kind of experience that would give me some more assurance that
I'm a real child of God. Something's hindering me. Now,
if there is anything hindering me, I want to know, should I
not be baptized? He wasn't sure, was he? He wasn't
sure. I love what Gold said to me. If you believe with all your
heart, you may. Now, when I hear that, I start
asking myself, well, do I believe with all my heart or just half
my heart? How do I know I'm really believing with all my heart?
But I love his answer. He says, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. You believe that? What's to not be assured of? And it's also very possible to
have full assurance of salvation, to know you're saved and nobody
can tell you different, and not have a drop of saving faith.
And that bunch that I just quoted of in Matthew chapter 17, they
believe they were saved. Lord, have we not preached in
your name? In your name, have we not cast
out demons? And in your name, have we not
done many wonderful works? Notice their opinion of their
own works, many and wonderful. They had full assurance that
they were saved. And yet they heard the Lord say
to them, depart from me. Ye that work iniquity, I never
knew you. Now what is this thing of full
assurance? Well, turn with me to 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. Where does full assurance come
from? Because I know this. Whenever I start looking for
full assurance, I don't have it. When I look to Christ, I
have it. When I hear the gospel, I have
it. When I'm resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have it. But
as soon as I start asking myself, do you have full assurance of
faith? Well, those question marks come
up. You start thinking of the things you think of because you
have the old nature. But look at this passage in 1 Thessalonians
1. Verse 1. Knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God. Now that is a remarkable statement,
isn't it? He says to these Thessalonians, And this was written, from what
I understand, only three weeks after he first came there and
preached and was ran out of town. And he writes them this letter
to find out how they're doing. And he says, I know, I know your
election of God. I know that God chose you before
time began to be saved. Now that is a bold statement,
isn't it? How do you know, Paul? You didn't
have any access to the Lamb's Book of Life. You can't go up
into heaven and see the names written there. You don't know
who God's elect are. Yet he says to these people,
I know you're elect of God. How? Well, let's go on reading. For our gospel, the gospel of
God's saving grace. The gospel of election by the
Father and redemption by the Son and regeneration by the Holy
Spirit. The gospel where Christ gets
all the glory, where He does all the saving. The gospel that
tells me that everything that God requires of me, He looks
to His Son for. Is that good news to you? Is
that gospel to you? Our gospel. How'd it come to
you? Not in word only, but also in That power that comes from the
Holy Spirit. Our gospel came not to you in
word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance. Now, does that mean that as soon
as they heard the gospel, they had much assurance that they
were saved? Doesn't mean that. And I can
remember even as a young believer, all the things that have gone
through my mind, I don't know how many times as a, I think
I knew the Lord, but young believer, I don't know how many times I
thought I sinned against the Holy Spirit. Thought it was over for me, thought
I'd been reprobated. I don't know how many times.
I remember one time, I want to say this carefully, but one time
I was scared to death that I was the Antichrist. Do you have assurance
that that's? No, no, I didn't. I was just
scared to death. I've had many experiences like
that where I just felt so alone and isolated and left to myself
and didn't, But you know what? I did even
then have assurance that the gospel was the only gospel. That's what I had assurance of.
This is God's gospel. This is the only way I can be
saved. This is what the Bible actually teaches. That's the
full assurance they had. They said, this is the truth.
And one of the things I love about the gospel is when you
hear it, you know, it's gospel, don't you? You know, it's the
truth. Your conscience tells you, you, you have the inner
witness of the spirit. You know, this is the truth. You have full
assurance that this is the gospel. Look in first Thessalonians chapter
two, verse 13. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you received the word of
God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men, not as a man's opinion or a denomination or distinctive,
but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectively worketh
in you that believe. Now when somebody hears the truth
of how God saves sinners, And then they turn around and say,
well, I believe I was saved when I didn't believe that. And I
believe something else. I know they've never heard the gospel
in power. Never had. I don't know what it is they've
heard, but they haven't heard the gospel in power because you
wouldn't be saying that because you would be assured that this
is the gospel and anything contrary to it is false. Now, somebody
says, does that mean if you believe the five points you're saved?
Of course not. Doesn't mean that at all. You know the devil believes
the five points. I guarantee you the devil believes the five
points. He knows. But I know this, Luke speaks of those things
which are most surely believed among us, and that's the same
word. Those things of which we're fully assured of. Now, I loved
I loved how Joe Terrell, if you heard his message, he exposed
all of his doubts and fears and everybody's got them. Everybody's
got them. Nobody that doesn't have them.
Nobody that is independent of those things. Somebody once said to Charles
Spurgeon, he was kind of... He said, I never have a doubt.
Spurgeon said, I never had a doubt about you. I never doubted anything,
but you were a compounded hypocrite. And I thought, man, you rarely
talk to people like that. Everybody has their doubts and
so on, but Luke still speaks of the things which are most
surely believed. Full assurance. Now here's something
I do is if you could cut into my heart, if I could take a lie
detector test, you'd find out this is the truth. I really believe
the Bible is the Word of God. I really do. And I believe that
God is as the Bible presents him to be. I believe everything
the Bible says regarding the character of God. How much you
gotta believe to be saved? Everything God says. Everything. And you know what else I believe? I believe I am as the Bible presents
me to be. I believe in and of myself I
am nothing but sin. And I'm not talking about the
way I used to be. I know what Paul meant when he said, Oh wretched
man that I am. And I believe what the Bible
says about God's salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. I believe that. Holy His work. Oh, I love election by the Father. I love redemption by the Son. I love regeneration and sovereign
work of God the Holy Spirit. I believe the God of the Bible. You know, I believe God the Father. I believe He's the Father. He's
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the Father of all
believers. I believe God the Son. I believe
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed
Trinity, not like God. He is God, the creator of the
universe. I believe God, the Holy Spirit.
I know him. All I know of the Lord Jesus
Christ is through him. There are some things that are
most surely believed among us. Hebrews 611 speaks of the full
assurance of hope. And what is the full assurance
of hope? Romans 4 21 here's the same word says regarding Abraham
he was fully persuaded. He was fully persuaded believing
that what God had promised he was able also to perform. You believe that? That what God
has promised he's able to make it come to pass. You know he's
able to make me perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. He's
able to make my sins to where they are no longer, where they're
gone, and I stand perfectly for Him. 2 Timothy 1.12, Paul said,
I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that He is
able. That's all my persuasion. Not
that I'm persuaded anything about me, but I'm persuaded. that he is able. Like those two blind men that
came groping their way into the house where the Lord was and
the Lord said, do you believe that I'm able to do this? You
know what their answer was? Yes, Lord. Yes. Assurance hidden Assurance I'm
saved because I've conquered this sin or I don't deal with
unbelief or I don't deal with doubts anymore or I've I've No,
that's that's somebody at all. No, no assurance is fully assured
That all you need Is the Lord Jesus Christ? To make you perfect
before God And notice he speaks of the full assurance of understanding
You know, it was said of the good ground hearer that he heard
the word and he understood. He understood. A couple of scriptures to think
about that. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. God says in verse 17, their sins. and iniquities will I remember
no more. Now there's only one way that
he can not remember those sins. You've heard me say this many
times before. It's because there's nothing there to remember. God can't forget something. I
mean, there's things, there are things that people have done
to you 30, 40 years ago. I think of things people have
done, even when I was like in junior high school, and I can
get tensed up thinking about it. I mean, just thinking about
the way I remember them. Do you think God forgets? Well,
he does when there's nothing there to remember, and that's
what our Lord Jesus Christ did. He put away the sin, so that
God says, there are sins and iniquities I will remember no
more. Verse 18, now, where remission of these is, There's no more
offering for sin. There's been one offering. And
by that one offering, he put away the sin of all the elect. Now, there's no more offering
for sin. It's already been done. Now,
once in the end of the world have he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. And if he put it away, it's put
away. Now, don't you dare try to bring
an offering for your sin. Don't try to come into God's
presence and bring something, trying to make atonement for
your sin. It's been put away. Having therefore, brethren, verse
19, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and a living way which he consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having a high priest
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith. Now, full assurance of faith. Is what Christ did enough? Do
you believe it is? Anything else needed? What's
to not be assured of? If you really believe that Christ
is all that's needed, to make you accepted before God, and
you cling to Him only, and you'll plead nothing else. You have
no reason to not have full assurance of faith. I think of the thief. Notice he said the riches of
the full assurance of understanding. That thief nailed to a cross.
You know, there's some things he understood. He understood,
now he didn't comprehend it, I don't mean that, but he understood
that Jesus Christ is God. He said, don't you fear God,
seeing you're in the same condemnation? He understood that he deserved
to be cut off. He said, we receive the due rewards
of our deeds. And he understood that Christ
never sinned. This man hath done nothing amiss. And he knew that Jesus Christ
was Lord. When nobody else did, he said,
Lord! And he understood that Christ
would not stay in this condition and stay dead. He said, remember
me when you come into your kingdom. And this man understood the only
thing that was necessary was for the Lord to remember him. You know, that's what I play
right now. Lord, remember me, stand up for me, represent me
when you come into your kingdom. Let me ask you this. Have you
ever understood that you're a sinner? I love that phrase, wrong on
the fall, wrong on it all, because it's true. It's totally true. But have you ever been made to
understand that you've not kept one commandment one time. Do
you believe that? Do you really believe it? I know
everybody would automatically say, sure, I'm a sinner. But
do you believe you're somebody who's never kept one commandment,
one of his holy commandments, one time? Do you know you're
not going to have assurance until you're right there? Because when
you're right there, that's when you trust Christ as your righteousness
before God and not before them. The riches a full assurance of
understanding, a heart understanding of the gospel. And notice he
says in verse, back to our text in Colossians chapter one, Colossians
chapter two, that their hearts might be comforted being knit
together in love and to all the riches of the full assurance
of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and the
father and of Christ. The acknowledgement of the mystery.
Now, a mystery in the scriptures, the word's not used the way we
use it today. 21st century, we think mystery
to me. I don't know what it means. I
mean, it's something concealed. It's something I know nothing
about. But a mystery in the Bible is that which God has revealed
that you could not have possibly known unless God was pleased
to reveal it. You wouldn't have a clue. It's
not something you could ever come up with. Could you understand
that God is one God in three distinct persons, God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, if God didn't reveal
that? I think of Peter when the Lord said, whom do men say that
I am? And they talked about all these
different things, various answers. And he said, but whom say ye
that I am? And Peter said, thou art the
Christ, the son of the living God. And the Lord said to him,
blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to me. But my father, which is in heaven. Oh, the acknowledgment. The embracing is the word, the
embracing of the mystery. Now, there are things about God
we can know without revelation. You know, it is only rational,
it only makes sense to think that God created the world. The
idea of atheism doesn't even make sense to me. I mean that
all this could come out of nothing. That all of this could, I know
somebody says, well it makes sense to me. Well it doesn't
to me. It doesn't to me. And you can know, you can deduce
from that, God is very powerful. God is very powerful. You look
at the rolling spheres, you look at all the universe, God is very
powerful. But can you know who forgives
sin? Can you know he's just? Can you know he's gracious? You
can't know these things apart from revelation. And he speaks
specifically of the mystery of the Father. God is my Father. I love that scripture where the
Lord said, I go to my God and your God. And I go to my Father
and your Father. I love the way the Lord, when
he speaks to his disciples, he speaks of your heavenly Father. I love that. your heavenly father. Do you know what I like best?
I like, this is what I like best. If you then being evil know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your father
give good things to them that ask him. Isn't it mysterious
how you can actually be a child of God? You believe it. I'm an
adopted son. I'm a son by birth. I'm a son
as I'm In the Lord Jesus Christ, if He's the Son of God, the Son
of God, I'm in Him, I'm the Son of God. Oh, the mystery of Christ,
that He's the Christ, that He's the great prophet, that He's
the great priest, that He's the great king, He's God's Messiah.
Oh, there's the acknowledgement, the embracing of this mystery.
I mean, when you acknowledge it, it doesn't just mean that
you give assent to it. You embrace it. You embrace the truth. Let
me show you some scriptures. Thernotitis 1.1. Verse 1, Paul, a servant of God
and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect. And what is that? The acknowledging,
the embracing of the truth, which is always after godliness. Turn back a page to 2 Timothy
chapter 2. Paul says in verse 24, And the servant of the Lord must
not strive, he must not try to talk people
into the kingdom of heaven and argue and debate, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves, if God per venture will give
them repentance. And what is repentance? To the
acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out
of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his
will. What is repentance? The acknowledging,
the embracing of the truth. Christ Jesus is the truth. One
other scripture on this, 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 4, who will have all men
to be saved and to come to, what? The knowledge of the truth. Now back to our text in Colossians
chapter 2, verse 3, in whom in the Lord Jesus Christ are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now, all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge are in him. Now, listen real carefully.
While we believe in the mysteries of the Bible, we don't believe
in mysticism. What is mysticism? It means communion
with God apart from knowledge, apart from understanding, apart
from hearing the truth. Some kind of direct revelation
where God makes himself known to you, apart, just some kind
of direct, no, no. There's in him are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In John chapter eight, verse
32, the Lord said, you shall know the truth. Now, Lord said that, didn't He?
You know the truth, and the truth will make you free. And beloved,
it's not your knowledge of the truth that will make you free.
It's the truth Himself. The only way I can be made free
is for Him to make me free. You shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free. Now, knowledge without wisdom
is not saving knowledge. Wisdom without knowledge is an
impossibility. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Now all the treasures, now note
that word all, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid
in him. Now where does full assurance
come from? We'll look down in verse nine
of this same chapter, Colossians chapter two, verse nine. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Do you believe that? I do. I surely do. I believe all the
vast infinite fullness of the incomprehensible living God dwells
in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And look what it says
next in verse 10. And you are complete in Him. You know what that means? You don't lack anything. You don't lack anything. You are complete. Now, do you
feel complete? Probably not. You feel like there's
all kinds of things missing. And the thing that is when we
have this old nature that we still possess, It's always going to be dragging
us down Always don't don't look for anything else out of this
old nature. Here's Here's what what? This is something I believe it
I don't understand it, but I'm no more holy right now than I
will be in heaven I'm not gonna be any more holy in heaven than
I am right now Now, none of us get a hold of that by experience
because we see the old nature. And that's how much that old
nature brings us down. But that old nature is going
to be put away. The flesh is going to be no more. And then I'll have a glorified
body. I won't have to deal with this old nature. But still, what
is to prevent full assurance if you are complete? complete, nothing lacking, nothing
out of order, nothing wrong, perfect, however complete the
Lord Jesus Christ is, that's how complete you are. Now that,
my dear friends, is full assurance. It's full assurance that He is
everything in salvation and I'm clinging to Him. May God grant
all of us faith, which is gift, and full assurance of faith. Let's pray together.