A Believer's Confidence

Q: What does the Bible say about believers being confident in their salvation?

The Bible states that we can be confident that God, who began a good work in us, will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). In Philippians 1:6, the Apostle Paul expresses his confidence in God's faithfulness, stating that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. This assurance is rooted in the character of God, who is unchanging and faithful to His promises. Unlike human endeavors, which can fail, God's work in our lives is perfect and everlasting. This confidence is crucial for believers, as it emphasizes that our salvation and spiritual journey are not reliant on our own efforts but on God's sovereign grace. Paul reminds us that our faith itself is a gift from God, and it is through His grace that we are not only called to salvation but also empowered to live in accordance with His will. Thus, our confidence rests not in our merits but in His divine provision and commitment to His elect.

Q: How do we know God's work in us is true?

We know God's work in us is true because it aligns with His eternal purpose and is fulfilled by His power (Philippians 2:13). The assurance of God's work in us is firmly grounded in Scripture, particularly in Philippians 2:13, which states that God is actively working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. This indicates that our desires and actions to follow Him stem from His sovereign influence in our lives, affirming that His work is genuine and transformative. Furthermore, God's work is evidenced through the miracles of regeneration and continued faith in believers. Just as Lazarus was called from the grave, those whom God saves are given new life, enabling them to respond to His call. The believer’s journey, marked by sanctification and perseverance, serves as a testimony to God’s mighty hand at work fulfilling His promises.

Q: Why is being confident in God's promises important for Christians?

Being confident in God's promises is essential as it provides spiritual security and motivates believers to live faithfully (Hebrews 10:23). Confidence in God's promises is vital for Christians as it fuels our faith and perseverance. The writer of Hebrews encourages believers to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). This assurance cultivates stability and resilience in the face of trials and temptations we encounter in our Christian walk. Moreover, this confidence serves as a motivating force for us to pursue righteousness and engage in good works, knowing that our efforts are not in vain but are empowered by God's grace. Understanding that God is committed to finishing what He has started in us encourages believers not only to trust His plan but also to actively participate in the work He has ordained for us, ultimately reflecting His glory.

Well, let's open our Bibles to
Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1. While
you're turning to the Scriptures, I'll be speaking tonight on the
subject, Jehovah Shalem, the Lord our peace. The Lord our
peace. Alright, let's read Philippians
chapter 1, the first six verses. Paul and Timothy, the servants
of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus,
which are at Philippi, with the bishops, pastors, and deacons,
grace be unto you, and peace. You know, out of all of Paul's
epistles, I think there are about 14 of them, he begins 12 of them
with this statement. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace. That's why
I'm preaching on that tonight. Peace of God. All right, verse
3, I thank my God upon every remembrance, every memory of
you, every mention of you. Thank God for every thought of
you. Always in every prayer of mine
for you all, making request with joy. For your fellowship in the
gospel. from the first day until now.
Now here's our text, being confident, being confident. In this very thing, and of this
very thing, I'm confident of this very thing, that he which
hath begun a good work in you, Will, the word is perform, which
is complete, finish, perfect. That work until the day, glorious
day, of our Lord's return. Now, most everyone is interested
in miracles. A miracle will attract your attention.
And that's not unusual, nor is it evil, nor is it unscriptural
to be interested in miracles. I'm interested in miracles. Everything God does is a miracle,
supernatural. And when John the Baptist sent
his disciples to inquire of our Lord, you remember? And he told
the men he sent to inquire of Jesus of Nazareth, are you he
that should come? Are you the Christ? Or do we
look for another? And our Lord replied, you go
and show John. You go and show John again. Did you ever notice that word,
again? Those things which you see and hear. How the blind receive their sight. Show John. Tell John. And the lame walk. And the lepers are cleansed.
And the deaf hear. And the dead are raised up. And
the poor have the gospel preached to them. Now you go tell John
that. Only the Messiah can do that. And my friends, if you're
interested in miracles, you're looking at a miracle right now. And I'll tell you this, I'm looking
at a lot of miracles out there. Miracles, that's right. Do not
the blind see? There was a time when you didn't
see. You didn't see these heavenly truths, did you? There was a
time when you did not see. There was a time when the God
of this world had blinded you lest the glorious gospel of Jesus
Christ shine into your heart. But now you see. You see the
glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. And these wonderful mysteries
of the kingdom of God preached to you. You understand them and
rejoice in them. The blind see. That's a miracle. And the lame walk. That's right. The lame walk. Walk by faith
with God. Like Enoch of old. There are
men right here. Enoch was a family man. Enoch was a public man. Enoch was a leader of men in
that day. Enoch was a farmer and a herdsman. But Enoch walked with God. By
faith. How do you walk with God? By
faith. And you walk. There was a time you didn't.
There was a time you lay dead in trespasses and sin. But you
walk with God now. Who enabled you to walk? That's
a miracle. The deaf hear. Our Lord said,
blessed are your ears. They hear. Well, doesn't everybody
hear? No. No, everybody doesn't hear. He says they have ears, but they
don't hear. They have eyes, but they don't see. I hear. I not only hear, but I love to
hear. I not only love to hear, but
I can't hear enough. That's a miracle. Dead men don't hear, and they
don't rejoice in what they hear. Oh, they rejoice in their religion,
they rejoice in their traditions, they rejoice in their social
fellowship, but they don't rejoice in Him because they can't hear.
The only one whose heart can sing to the melody is the one
who hears it. You may be standing beside a
deaf man and you're going like this, your heart is blessed and
that sweet strings of beautiful music's coming in. He's standing
there looking at you, or maybe looking around. You don't hear. See what I'm saying? The deaf
hear. A miracle. And the dead have been raised,
dead in sin. Not only raised from the dead,
but raised to die no more. He that believeth in Christ shall
never die." Death is over. Oh, we shall sleep. We shall
sleep, but not die. No. Death hath no dominion over
you. You have already died. To die
no more. Risen. The dead have been raised. And not only raised, but Paul
said, Yea, seated with Christ in the heavenlies. There's several things wrong
with what the preacher says when he
says, everybody raise your hand if you're sure for heaven as
if you were already there. There's several things wrong
with that. There's a gross presumption to
begin with. But those who are in Christ are
already there. Huh? As if I were there? My forerunner has already entered
within the veil. Isn't that what it says? I am
already there. If I'm in Christ, if I'm raised
with Christ, if I'm seated with Christ, where is He seated? Within
the veil. So there are a lot of things
wrong with that. But out of the heart, the mouth
speaks. It's like the missionary I heard a few weeks ago who said
Christianity is 2,000 years old. I sat there and thought, What kind of Christianity is
he talking about? Moses was a Christian. Moses wrote of me, Christ said.
Abraham was a Christian. Abraham saw my day and rejoiced,
glad. Christianity is as old as Christ.
When God made him the surety of the covenant, that's Christianity. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, miracle. Do you understand this? Then thank God you're a miracle,
because most people don't. The blind see, the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed. Lepers, corrupted, decaying,
filthy, Lepers outside the camp are now accepted in the beloved.
The old leper had to walk around saying, unclean, unclean, don't
come near me, I'm unclean. Not anymore. I can come boldly
before the throne of my God, cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Lepers are cleansed. The poor have the gospel preached
to them. Oh, Arthur Pink said, the poor
are those who have nothing, know nothing, and can do nothing.
That's poor. Well, that's us. But we have
the gospel, the good news, the riches of Christ preached to
us. The gospel is for the poor, poor
in spirit. You see, my friend, the believer's
entire life is a miracle. A far greater miracle than a
temporary healing of this decaying body. Far greater miracle. Our birth is a miracle. Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed,
that's a miracle. Regeneration's a miracle. The
womb of nature is as dead as Sarah's womb. Unless God speaks,
Sarah will bear no son. Unless God speaks, you'll bear
no life. The sinner's grave is as cold
and dark as Lazarus' grave. The only voice that could bring
Lazarus forth from his dark, damp deadness was the voice of
the Son of God. And our Lord said, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, that in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son
of God, and they that hear shall live." Who then can be saved? Well,
with me, and it's impossible. As impossible as for the eunuch,
Ethiopian eunuch, to change his skin and become a white man. As impossible for the leopard
to change his thoughts. Impossible for us to do good, who by nature are evil. Bringing
life out of our death is like dipping a cup of clear, clean
water out of a dunghill. Can you imagine? Almighty God can reach down with
his hand of mercy by the blood of Christ and to the dunghill
of our deadness and depravity, and lift up out of there a cup
of clean, fresh, pure water." That's right. Our God can produce a flame from
an icicle. We can make a candle burn, but
you can't make an icicle burn. My God can. the coldest, deadest
heart, he can revive with the fire of Christ. That's right.
But God, that's what the scripture said, you who were dealt in trespasses
and sin, you who followed the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the mind, the pride of life, you who walked even as Satan
directed your path, children of wrath, even as others, in
the dunghill, but God, For His great love wherewith
He loved us, not that we loved Him, He loved us, hath quickened
us together with Christ by grace are you saved. That's a miracle. Of His own will begat He us.
But, not only is my birth and regeneration a miracle, but this
entire pilgrimage, do you believe this? is a miracle. It is not only a miracle that
you live spiritually, but it'll be a miracle if you continue
to live. I guarantee you. It'll be a miracle if you stay
in the faith. It'll be a miracle. Because it's
just not in you. It's a miracle that we begin
in faith and a greater miracle if we finish in faith. That's
right, I'm telling you. I've seen too much of it. I'll tell you who knows that
better than anybody. When the enlightened believer
knows himself and knows his enemies, we wrestle not against flesh
and blood. I'm not your enemy. Your brother is not your enemy.
The man you work for is not your enemy. We wrestle not against
flesh and blood. We wrestle against principalities
and powers and rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness
in high places. And they're out to defeat Christ. It's exactly right. And when
the enlightened believer knows himself and he knows his enemies
and he understands just a little bit of the dangers about him,
the dangers about him, the pitfalls, he is as amazed with God's keeping
grace as he is with God's saving grace. I'm amazed that you came here
to start with. God brought you, but I'm amazed
at you who stayed. God kept you. I tell you, I'm
telling the truth. We're like travelers walking
along a slippery ledge with destruction on either side. If the hand of
God does not hold you, you'll fall. You'll fall. We're like flowers
blooming in a desert, dependent on water from heaven. If it does
not come, you'll die. We're like a desperate, defenseless
deer running through a forest of hunters on the first day of
deer season, all seeking his life. It'll only be a miracle
if he doesn't go down. He'll have to be covered by the
protective hand. He'll have to be shielded by
the providence of God. And so will you. And so will
you. But God, He'll keep me till the
river rolls its waters at my feet. And then He will bear me
safely over where my Savior I shall meet. And here I raise mine Ebenezer. Hither, by God's help, I've come. And I hope, by His good pleasure,
I'll safely arrive at home. But it'll be by His pleasure. But not only that, the believer's
birth is a miracle. The believer's continuing in
the faith is a miracle. But our resurrection, oh my,
the finality of death. The finality of death. Have you
ever stood beside someone and watched them die? They don't hear you anymore. They don't see you anymore. The body's dead. You place your
hand on it, it's already cold. and clammy and beginning to get
hard. Oh, the finality of death. Say
something. Please say something. He'll never,
ever say anything again. Oh, the corruption of the grave.
Have you ever seen them dig up a body that's been dead for a
year or two? It's amazing. There's nothing
there. Dust. Dry bones. A little hair. It's all gone. Oh, the corruption of the grave.
Oh, the helplessness of humans. But God! That's where you have
to come, standing by the grave. But God! It'll have to be God. He'll raise
my vile body, Paul said, and He'll make it like unto His glorious
body." Now that's a miracle. You mean this will live again?
You mean as you stand and watch them dig up someone who's been
dead a year or two? You mean that flesh will shine
again and that hair will wave again? body will fill out again, and
that voice will speak again, and those eyes will see again
like they've never seen before, like they've never heard before.
That's a miracle. And that's what Paul is saying
here in this text, in Philippians 1, 6, being confident, being
confident. I tell you, there's no confidence
anywhere else. Being confident of this very
thing that He which hath begun a good work in you shall perfect
it, shall complete it, shall finish it, shall glorify it in
the day of Christ. No confidence in His flesh. At that time of death and decay,
call on your preacher. He can't do anything. Call on
the priest. He can't do anything. Call on
your tradition. Call on all your worldly friends. Call on your cohorts and companions. They can't do anything. But I'll tell you this, Paul
said, I'll tell you where my confidence is. In Him. Being confident that He... Watch
this now. Being confident, persuaded, certain
of this very thing. That He which hath begun a good
work. With whom did the work begin? You know, we try to start everything
with man. Nothing starts with man. The
creation didn't start with man. The world didn't start with man.
The Bible doesn't start with man. It says, In the beginning
God. Hebrews starts off, God, who at certain times in various
manners spake to our Father. God, that's where it starts.
That's where everything starts. That's where love starts. We
didn't love God, He loved us. Old Paul said, of Him are you
in Christ Jesus. Even Christ Jesus was of God,
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and He saved us and called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose in Christ, which He purposed before the world
began. He did it, being confident of this very thing that He, which
hath begun a good work. Whom He foreknew, He predestinated. Whom He predestinated, He called.
Whom He called, He justified. Whom He justified, He glorified. Alpha and Omega, beginning and
end. I'm the beginning. I'm the author and finisher of
faith. Oh, Paul said, I'm confident of this very thing, that he which
hath begun a good work. He calls it a good work. Oh,
how important this is right here if you'll just pull up a chair
a minute and let me talk to you. This is what makes salvation
by the grace of God to be a cause for rejoicing, because He has
begun in us and for us a good work, a good work. This work that God has begun
in us is a perfect work without flaw or spot. You don't have
any works like that. I don't have any works like that. The scripture says in Leviticus
22, to be accepted it has to be perfect. What has to be perfect? Well, if you have His wisdom,
it's perfect wisdom. If you have His righteousness,
it's perfect righteousness. If you have his sanctification,
it's perfect sanctification. If you have his redemption, it's
perfect redemption. You see, all our righteousness
is a filthy rag. Our Lord said to those at the
judgment who said, well, we preached and done many wonderful works.
He said, they're works of iniquity. And works of iniquity won't take
you into God's presence. But I'm confident of this one
thing, that He that hath begun in you a good work. A good work. Your sanctification
is good. Your righteousness is good in
Him. Huh? You see that? He hath begun
in you, and look at that, He calls it a work. Being confident
of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work. It's a work. Our Lord prayed
in Gethsemane's garden, Father, I have finished the work you
gave me to do. What is that work? Well, that
work is for us righteousness and peace. Purpose for the Father,
purchase for the Son. We have in Christ a perfect righteousness. We have in Christ a perfect atonement. It's a good work. The Father accepted it. How do
we know He accepted it? He said He gave evidence to us
in that He raised Him from the dead. It's a good work. And it's a work for us, and it's
a work in us. Paul said, God who separated
me from my mother's womb hath revealed His Son in me. And then over here, turn one
page in Philippians to chapter 2, verse 13. Listen to this. Philippians 2, 13. It's God that
worketh in you both to will, to want to, to desire to, and
to do of His good pleasure. You not only You and I not only
have the grace of God to do His will, it takes the grace of God
to make us want to do His will. You see that? I'm confident that
He, that He which hath begun a good work in you, This good
work, Christ's righteousness, Christ's atonement, Christ's
cleansing. He will perform it. He will. And that word perform
is complete. He will finish it. He will accomplish
it. Hold your hand there and turn to Ecclesiastes 3. I want
you to listen to this. Ecclesiastes chapter 3. I want
you to read this scripture here with me and mark it in your Bible. Listen to it. Now, I know, I know, the writer
says, Ecclesiastes 3.14, 3.14. I know. That's like Paul saying,
I'm confident of this very thing. I know. Whatsoever God doeth,
it'll be forever. Now, if you do it, or the preacher
does it, or the church does it, or any fleshly Power. You can't say that. But if God
does it, it'll be forever. And nothing can be put to it.
Doesn't need to add anything to it. Everything God does is
complete in its entirety. You can't add anything to it.
Can't take anything away from it either. God doeth it that
men should fear, worship, glorify Him. For that which hath been
is now, and that which is to be is already been. And God requires that which is
past. That which hath been, it is,
and that which is, it hath been. God declares the end from the
beginning. No surprises with God. That's right. I'm confident, Paul said, that
he, and I read the scripture at the beginning of the service
in which David said, Our God's in the heavens, and he hath done
whatsoever he pleased, whatsoever the Lord pleased. That did he
in heaven, earth, seas, and all deep places. And he that hath
begun, it's not finished yet where you're concerned or I'm
concerned, but it will be, if he began it. Or if God does
it, it's forever. And nothing can be taken from
it, nothing can be added to it. It's perfect. In Christ dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're complete in
Him. That which is, hath been. And
that which hath been, it will be. He'll perform it. I can tell
you this. Listen to me. If your hand is on the latch
and your foot on the threshold of paradise, you'll only take
that last step by the power and grace of God. Righter than. That's so. It was grace that taught my heart
to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear,
the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, and who
knows what they are. Toils and snares, I have already
come, and will go. But it's grace, God's grace,
God's grace that brought me safe, saved thus far. And it will be
God's grace that takes me home. What hast thou that thou didst
not receive? Not a thing. Why wouldn't the work be completed?
Why wouldn't it? I'm confident, Paul said, that
He which hath begun in you, in you, not just for you, but in
you, a good work, a good, none good but God. But this work is
good because God did it. He shall perfect it. Why wouldn't
he? Will he change his mind? Malachi
said, I'm the Lord, I change not. Paul said, the gifts and
calling of God are without change. Will some greater power defeat
his purpose? None can stay my hand. God said
or said unto me, what doest thou? Christ said, I have all authority
over all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given me. Is there some insufficiency in
the atonement, maybe? The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all sin. He is able to present you holy,
unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. Shall God be mocked? Our Lord
said, sit down and count the cost, whether you have sufficient
to finish it. Let somebody come by and look
at your unfinished house and mock you and say, he didn't have
enough power to finish it. You think God's going to be mocked?
Do you think there's anywhere on this earth or ever has been
or ever will be a creature whom God set out to save and, gee,
I will not finish it, he'll not finish it? There's a lot of, oh my, my,
my. Give me an example from the Bible
of one thing God ever started to do, He didn't finish. Just
one example. Our Lord said, I go to prepare
a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you unto myself. All that the Father giveth me
will come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in no wise
cast out. I came down from heaven not to
do my will, but the will of him that sent me. This is the will
of him that sent me, that all which he hath given me I'll lose
nothing." Nothing. Oh, the ceremonialist sprinkles
the infant and says a work is begun, but that infant may yet
perish. That's right. The free willer
shakes the man's hand out the front of the church and he says,
Glory to God, but what's begun? But that man may yet perish.
The legalist reforms his life, turns over a new leaf, and starts
down a moral road. But he'll probably leave it.
He'll grow weary of it. But God, boy, I tell you, That's
a foundation, isn't it? But God, who hath begun a good
work in you, shall will perform it in the day of Jesus Christ. That's
the day when He comes again. There'll be no vacancies in heaven,
but there's plenty of room. Come ye weary, heavy laden, bruised
and mangled by the fall, Jesus ready stands to save you, full
of pity, love, and power. Do you want a miracle? Then look not to the fleshly
wonders which are temporary. Look at the eternal work of redemption. God choosing a people, Christ
redeeming a people, the Holy Spirit miraculously, effectually,
invincibly calling them to faith in Christ, which shall never
fail. And one day, like Enoch of old,
they'll walk with God and walk right on into glory. Because
my name from the palms of his hand Eternity will never erase. Impressed on his heart, my name
remains in marks of eternal grace. Yes, out to the end shall endure,
as sure as the promise is given. More happy, but not more secure,
are the glorified saints in heaven. Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
and David are with God, right? They are happier than we are,
but I guarantee you they are no more secure than the least
believer right down here in this cesspool of iniquity. Because
the same God who saved them saved you by the same grace through
the same blood. Exactly right. So I'm confident of this one thing, that He which
hath begun in you a good work, if He began it, I'll see you
in glory. Now if He didn't, if He didn't, If you boast of
what you've done, what you've given, how you live, farewell
old friend. That's just so.

A Believer's Confidence

What does the Bible say about believers being confident in their salvation?

How do we know God's work in us is true?

Why is being confident in God's promises important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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A Believer's Confidence

What does the Bible say about believers being confident in their salvation?

How do we know God's work in us is true?

Why is being confident in God's promises important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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