I'll turn back with me in your
Bibles to 2 Timothy. I'm going to speak tonight on
this subject, faith and assurance. Faith and
assurance. Now back in 2 Timothy chapter
1, let's turn back there just a moment. The first few verses
of this epistle Paul has written to the Thessalonians, he ties
together these two words, or these two experiences, faith
and assurance. Faith and assurance. Faith in
Christ and assurance of eternal life. Look, if you will, at verse
12 of 2 Timothy 1. Very familiar scripture. For
to which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I
am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed. That's faith. Faith in Christ. I know whom. He didn't say I
know what, though he did. He didn't say I know when, though
he did. He said I know whom. The object
of faith is Christ. Paul looked to Christ, trusted
Christ, believed Christ, loved Christ, rested in Christ. I know
whom I have believed. Now listen, read on. And I'm
persuaded, I'm assured and confident that he's able. to keep forever
that which I've committed unto him against that day. See, one
being true, the other's true. I know whom I have believed.
Therefore, assurance is true. He's able to keep that which
I've committed to him. I've committed it to him, trusted
him, believed him. He's not going to go back on
his word. He's able. willing and able to keep that
which I've committed to him. Let's go back and see what Job
says about this. Job chapter 19. Job chapter 19
verse 25. Here's those two same two principles,
same two experiences. Job talking about himself. Job
19.25. I know. Paul said, I know whom
I believe. Job said, I know who my redeemer
is. I know that my redeemer lives. He's not a dead Christ, he's
a living Christ. And I know he'll stand on this
earth at the latter day, upon this earth. And though after
my skin worms destroy this body, yet I'm confident of this in
my flesh. I'm going to see God. One being
true, the other is true. If you see him by faith, you'll
see him in person. If you believe him, you'll see
him when he comes. One being true, the other is
true. It cannot be otherwise. Our Lord's word is truth. He
that believeth on the Son hath life. What God hath begun, that
good work which he hath begun in you, he'll finish it in the
day of Jesus Christ. Let's hear what David says about
these two experiences, faith and assurance. Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. Who
is the Lord? The Lord Jehovah. Jehovah God
is my shepherd. I shall not walk. That being
true, I can't walk. If you've got a two-bit shepherd
and a shepherd passing through on a journey or a hoofster or
a thief that cares not for the sheep, well, you can't have insurance. But the Lord, your shepherd,
you shall not want. Want for life, hope, happiness,
glory. Read the rest of it. He makes
me to lie down in green pastures because he's my shepherd. He
leads me beside still waters. He restored my soul. He leads
me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yet, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no
evil. He's with me. Thou rod and thou staff, take
comfort in me. Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of my neediness. Thou knowest my head withal,
my cup runneth over. So, the Lord is my shepherd,
surely. That being true, goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. One being true, the other has
to be true, or God is not keeping his word. You see, that's what
somebody asked old John Jasper, the black preacher from Richmond,
Virginia, back during the Civil War. talk to him about his confidence
and assurance in Christ. They said to him, they said,
what if you get up there after you die and they turn you away
from the gates? He said, if they do, God's going
to lose more than I lose. Oh, that shocked the fellow.
He said, how can you say a thing like that? Well, God's going
to lose His honor, I'm going to lose my soul, but He's going
to lose His glory. Because He said, He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. I believe on the Son. One being
true, the other's got to be true. Because God is true. That's right. Now let's go to
2 Timothy. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. The Lamb is my shepherd, I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And when we as believers,
when we as believers do not have assurance and peace, I'll tell
you the reason. It's because we leave the word
of God, we leave the scriptures, and start looking within ourselves
for a reason to have hope. And when you look in yourself,
you can't find any reason in this world for which to have
hope. You've got to look to him. The
Lord's my shepherd, therefore I will dwell in the house of
the Lord. I know that my Redeemer liveth, therefore I shall see
God. I know whom I have believed.
He's able to keep that which I've committed to him. None of
that is found in here. It's all found in the Word, in
the Word of God. You don't have to turn to this,
but Solomon wrote in Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5. He said this, Proverbs 3 verse
5. Trust in the Lord with all your
heart, with all your mind, with all your strength. Trust in the
Lord with all your, and don't lean. Lean not to your own understanding. You trust in Him with all your
heart and don't look within yourself. for any hope, or comfort, or
assurance, because you won't find it in yourself, you find
it in Him, in His Word. And this, you've experienced
this, it's just like when you read, right now when you're reading
the Word, right this minute, I've given you an experience
of power, an experience of Job, an experience of David, and you
said, while you're reading it, that's good, I saw you just smile
when you read that, When you're reading the word, and when you're
studying the word, and when you're looking at his promises, and
reading about his mercy to sinners, you just rejoice, and there's
peace, and there's confidence, and there's hope of assurance.
But when you get away from the scriptures, you get away from
the scriptures, and you start reasoning about this thing, start
reasoning within yourself, and looking within yourself, and
trying to find some hope within yourself, that's when you're
filled with doubts. That's when you're filled with
doubts and fears. Leave the Word, you leave assurance.
Go to the Word and find assurance. Let me show you a scripture that
confirms that. In Hebrews 13, Hebrews chapter
13, it says here in Hebrews 13 verse Now listen to this. Let your conversation be without
covetousness, and be content with such things as you have.
For he hath said, he hath said, I'll never leave you, I'll never
forsake you, so that we may boldly say, Lord my helper, How can
you say the Lord is your helper? He said so first. If he said
it first, I can say it. If he says I'll never leave you,
I'll never forsake you, then I can say he's my helper. I don't
fear what man can do, or anybody else, because he said it. Therefore
I can say it. Here in 2 Timothy chapter 3 that
Brother Dan read a moment ago, it says in verse 13 that And
we're living in these days, evil men and seducers are wax worse
and worse, deceiving and being deceived. That's our day. Let
me show you a scripture that some of us read Sunday night
back in the study. Turn to the book of Micah. The book of Micah. The last chapter of Micah, chapter
7. Paul just said, evil men and
seducers shall act worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Wickedness prevails. False doctrine
abounds on every hand. The enemies of Christ are even
found in religious circles. That's our day. Now, let me read
you over here in Micah a scripture that sounds like it was just
written this morning. Verse 2 of Micah 7. The good
man is perished out of the earth. There's none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood. They haunt every man his brother
with a net. Everybody's out to sue people,
take all they can get. It's out for themselves. They
lie in wait for blood. Verse 3, that they may do evil
with both hands earnestly. The prince, that is the king,
he asks for something on the table, a kickback, a rollback,
he asks for something. The judge, he asks for something,
the reward, it's the executive branch and the judicial branch,
and the great man, the senator, the congressman, the legislative
branch, he utters his mischievous desires. Everybody's taking,
taking, taking, on the take, so they rack it up. The best
of them is as a briar, their most upright man is sharper than
a thorn hedge. The day of thy watchman and thy
visitation cometh, now shall be their perplexity. Trust you
not in a friend, are we to that place? Don't even trust a friend. I saw the other day on a newscast,
a man that went to school with Al Gore. close friend, bosom
buddy, and he's written a book about his experiences with Al
Gore and he's bringing out all the dirty laundry that he can
find and exposing this man that happened 30 years ago for money. The king wants a ransom, the
judge wants a ransom, the senator wants one, you free him, don't
you even trust to free him? If he gets mad, you write a book
about you. Don't really trust not even a
friend, that's 19, that's 2000 isn't it? Put no confidence in
a teacher, a guide. Don't put confidence in him,
now he'll betray you in this generation. Keep the doors of
your mouth from her that laugh in your bosom. If two people
are married, love each other, have a baby or two, and then
they fall out, And then they start saying awful
things about one another. Awful things. Everything you
whisper in her ear, she's going to tell you off. Think about
that. Can't even tell your own. Can't
trust your own wife. That's unbelievable, isn't it?
The son dishonors the father. The daughter rises up against
her mother. The daughter-in-law against the
mother-in-law, I mean, in any case, I'm here at his own house.
What am I going to do?" The next verse. I tell you, look where
y'all have been looking all the time. I look to the Lord. I wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me. He's the only one you can trust,
not yourself or anybody else. Now, that's not said of believers.
You trust believers. That's a horrible prophecy, isn't
it? But it rings so clear in this
day. Look at verse 13, evil men, seducers,
wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue
thou in the things, now here's three things here, look at this.
You continue in the things which you've learned. What have you
learned? What have you learned? What you've
learned is not by works of righteousness, which we're saying, but according
to his mercy. We've learned that, haven't we? You've learned that he who knew
no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. We've learned that. Now, you
continue in that, in the things which you've learned, continuing
God's wondrous grace in Christ Jesus, no matter what happens.
No matter the extremism of the day, or the departure from truth,
or evil men waxing worse and worse, you just continue in the
things you've learned about God's grace and mercy in the crucified
Redeemer. Stay with it. And have been assured. You've
learned these things and been assured of them. Assured of it,
the salvations of the Lord, that you're confident of it. You believe
that? You know that's true. We're not
redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold from
our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers,
but with the precious bread of Christ. We've learned that. We're
assured of that. There is no other message. No one of whom you learned it.
Of whom did we learn it? God taught us. He said that to
Peter. He said, Peter, whom do you say
that I am? You're the Christ. You're the
Son of God. We believe and assure that the
Christ is the Son of God. Peter, flesh and blood didn't
reveal that to you. You didn't learn that in school.
My Father taught you that. And they shall all be taught
of God. can come to me, except my Father
which sent me draw him. As it is written, they shall
all be taught of God, and he that hath been taught and learned
of God, ye come to me." So in this day of horrible atrocities
of heart and mind and spirit, with evil men and seducers wax
worse and worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Just continue
in the things that you've heard. Continue in the gospel. Don't
be sidetracked. Don't look for something to continue.
These things you've been assured of. Confident. Knowing of whom you learned them.
Of God. Of God. You know, Paul said over here
in 1 Thessalonians Verse 13. For which 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, but as it is in truth the word of God, which
effectually worketh also in you that believe. You continue in
the things you have heard and have been assured. no one of
whom you learned them. Now look at the next verse. And
Timothy from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which
is in Christ. Now Paul's not saying that Timothy
was saved as a child, but what he's saying here is this, from
his early youth, his earliest years, The scriptures were present
in his home. His mother and his grandmother
were believers, and the word of God was read and taught to
him. The word of God, which is the
seed and the means and the foundation of saving faith, even from a
little child, as our children here, back there in that class,
over here in this class, back in those classes, the seed of
the word of God. Some of you older ones, you started
out as children. This way. Now, mean are not wise
of themselves, but the scriptures are able to make them wise. That's
what he's saying about from a child. You continue in those things
that you've learned. You've heard, known of whom you
learned of God. From a child you've known the
holy scriptures. It's the scriptures that are
able to make you wise unto salvation. Men do not know sin, and they
do not condemn themselves, but the scriptures reveal their sins,
and that's when they repent and condemn themselves. Men do not
know who Christ is, his glorious person at work, but the scriptures
reveal who Christ is. The scriptures teach us about
his person at work. The scriptures reveal to us his
mercy and grace. Even so, the scriptures give
us assurance and confidence of the hope and peace in Christ
Jesus. That's where you get, you learn
who God is from the scripture, you learn who you are from the
scriptures, you learn who Christ is from the scriptures, you learn
his blood and righteousness through the scriptures, you learn his
mercy and grace through the scriptures, and you learn his keeping, preserving
mercy through the scriptures. from a child as known as scriptures
that are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith
which is in our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at this next verse.
And all scripture is given to us by inspiration of God. That word is all scripture, Old
Testament, New Testament, is God breathed. God breathed. Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Spirit of God to write the scriptures. All
scripture, all of it from Genesis to Revelation is God breathed,
given by divine inspiration of God. And all scripture is profitable. Now listen to this, it's profitable
for doctrine. Teach us the doctrine of God,
doctrine of the how sin came into the world, the doctrine
of God's covenant mercies in Christ, the doctrine of salvation,
eternal life, the scriptures are profitable for doctrine.
For reproof, what is reproof? To reprove error? To reprove
heresies? To reprove false doctrine? Like
Paul said, they'll come preach in another gospel. You need the
scriptures to reprove heresies and error and false gospel. For
correction, what's correction? Correcting us in our walk, correcting
us in our attitude, correcting us in our practices, correcting
us in all things in which we need correction. For instructions
in righteousness, instruction, our duties to man, our duties
to our families, to our children, to the people for whom we work,
our duties in the church, for instruction in righteousness,
and also for assurance and peace. Turn to Romans 5. Romans chapter
5. This is what the scripture says.
Therefore, Romans 5, we're being justified by faith, this being
so, then the next thing, so we are at peace with God. That's
what the scriptures teach us. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we are at peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not through our deeds and works and morality and our own personal
deeds, it's through Christ. By whom? By Christ. Also we have access, access into
this grace, into this standing, this righteousness, this acceptance,
into the presence of God, into the throne of heaven. Come boldly
before the throne. God has prepared and opened for
us a new and living way into the presence of God. Being justified
by believing on Christ, we have peace with God. We have access
by faith into this grace when we stand and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. That's what the scripture says.
And when we're reading that and when we're saying, well, let
me ask you this. Let me give you an illustration
here. Turn with me to John 11. John chapter 11. I like this
illustration very much. I've given it to you before,
but not on this subject. Lazarus had died. And our Lord stayed down in wherever
he was for two or three days. They buried Lazarus. He'd been
lying in a tomb four days. And Christ came back to Bethany.
And his sister Martha ran out to meet him. Lazarus' sister
Martha. She ran out to meet him. Verse 20, John 11. Then Martha,
as soon as she heard Jesus was coming, she ran and met him.
Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus,
Lord, if you had been him, a brother would not have died. But she
said, I know that even now, whatsoever you ask of God, God will give
it to you. Our Lord said to her, thy brother
shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know
that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection. The resurrection
is not a doctrine. It's not a creed. It's a person. I'm the resurrection. I'm the life. He that believeth
in me, though he were dead, that's lifeless, or living. Though he were dead, yet shall
he live. And whosoever liveth, and believe it on me or let her
die. Do you believe this? Yes. She didn't tell him what
she believed, you know. If you'd been here, you wouldn't
have died. I believe that. Even now I believe that whatever
you ask of God, he'll give you. He said, when he arrives in the
resurrection, I believe that too. Martha, he said, I'm the
resurrection. I'm the resurrection. I'm the
life. I'm salvation. I'm redemption. I'm God. He that
believeth on me will never die. Never die. Do you believe that?
Now let me ask you and I something. You and me. All of sin. I believe that. Do you believe
that? I do. I believe that. All of sin. I
don't have a problem with that. There's not a righteous man on
the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. All right, second.
Christ came into the world with the same sentence. I believe
that. Do you believe that? I don't
have a doubt in my mind about that. I believe Christ came to
save us. I believe Christ Jesus walked
this earth and perfectly loved and obeyed God in every job and
title, providing perfect righteousness for somebody. I believe he died
on the cross and shed his blood for sinners like me. Then rose again and ascended
to the right hand of God where he ever makes intercession for
somebody. Do you believe that? I don't have a doubt in my mind
about that. Let me ask you this. He said,
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life and shall never
come into condemnation. Do you believe that? Why do you believe the rest of
that? God told you. Why don't you believe this? God
told you this. He that believeth on me shall never come into condemnation. He's already passed from death
to life. Same scripture. Same God. Same covenant. Same Savior. But somebody might say, well,
you know, sure that's his presumption. Is it presumption to take God
at his word? Is that presumption? Well, presume
wrong! That's the best compliment you
can pay somebody, is to believe them. Especially in this day. Honestly believe them, just believe
them. It's not presumption to take God at his word. It's never
wrong to believe God. It's never presumption to say
with Paul, listen, you know what he said standing on that sinking
ship he said, sirs? I believe God. It shall be exactly
as he told me. So be of good cheer. I believe
it. No matter how dark it gets, or how dark I feel, my feeling
doesn't have anything to do with what he promised. That's right. One being true, the other has
to be true. He that believeth on the Son hath life. That has
to be so. It can't be otherwise. Let's
go back to that scripture and look at something else here. Verse 17, that the man of God,
all this scripture is given by inspiration of God, is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, instruction and righteousness,
for assurance and confidence and strength and faith. That
the man of God might be perfect, might be mature. that he might
grow in grace, that he might be complete, well-fitted and
supplied with grace, freely furnished under all good works, that he
might be furnished of God for the ministry God has given him.
Now, if I don't have assurance, if I don't have confidence in
the Word of God and confidence in my Savior, how can I witness? How can I, if I believe Him and
doubt that I'm saved, how can I tell anybody else to believe
Him? You see what I'm saying? How
can I possibly tell my children to believe God if I doubt that
He saved me? You see what I'm saying? How
can you comfort somebody? Here's a person dying and you're
going to comfort them and tell them that we have a good hope
in Christ. Do you have a good hope in Christ?
Then how can you tell him to have a good hope if you don't?
You have assurance? You cannot witness, you cannot
comfort, you cannot encourage, you cannot exhort, you cannot
preach if you cannot rest in Christ. Isn't that right? If he's not to be trusted by
me, then I'm not going to tell my children to trust him. That's what the word says over
here in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Turn over here a minute. This
is so important right here, what I'm going to give you right now.
So important. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3. Blessed
be God, even the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercy, the God of all comfort, the God of all grace, the God
of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, all
our trials, all our dark days, all our doubts and fears, all
our ups and downs, all our failures and successes, and all our tribulations,
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble
with the same comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of
God. That's what I'm doing tonight.
I'm passing on to you what he told me. And it's easy. If I was trying to get you to
do certain things because I do them, I'd just say, let's go
home. But I'm doing my best to get
people to look to Christ. Because He never fails. He never
failed me. He's never failed any of these
children. He's never forsaken. He said, I'll never forsake you.
He said, I'll be with you always. I'll never forsake you. So I
can say, I tell you the same thing. That we may be able to comfort
with the same comfort where we've been comforting. That's it. That we may be able
to encourage with the same encouragement from which we've been encouraged. All right, in closing. So in
verse chapter 4, he says, I charge you, therefore, before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dirty,
his spirit, preach the word. Preach the word. Be instant, in season, out of
season. There is no season for preaching
the word. There is no season. Just preach the word in season,
out of season. The prayer of rebuke, exalt with
all long-suffering and darkness and doctrine. Listen, it's the
word of God that reveals God in his glory. It's the word of
God that convinces men of sin. It's the word of God by which
Christ is revealed. It's the word of God through
which faith comes. It's the word of God by which
we grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ. And it's the word
of God which comforts the believer's heart and soul. Now, everybody is not going to
believe that's true. Verse 3 says the time will come
when they won't endure sound doctrine. After their own lusts
they'll heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. They'll
turn away their ears from the truth, turn to fables. But you watch in all things,
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist and make full
proof of your ministry. The Lord is my shepherd. How
do I know? He said so. That I shall not
want. That being true, this is true. I know my Redeemer living. That
being true, in my flesh I see God. That's true. Alright, I hope that's a blessing
to you. It was to me. All in the world I'm doing tonight
is just driving all of us back to the Word. That's just the
word. That's the foundation of faith,
is the word of God. All right, Mike.