How to Know You’re Saved

Introduction

Could be forgiven for being discouraged last week by Romans 8:13

“Am I killing off my sin well enough to have eternal life?”

Want to address a second question tonight — how can I know that I’m saved? It’s a question I know you guys wrestle with

Bama Unite — 7/10 assurance

Multiple convos this year about assurance

God wants you to be confident in the sufficiency of the blood of Jesus to save.

1 John 5:11-13

How do I actually know that I have eternal life?

I want you to have real assurance, not false assurance (ref. John 10:28-29)

Luke 8:5-8, 11-15

Read Luke 8:5-8, 11-15

Be very careful how you receive the good news about Jesus, because your eternal destiny depends on it.

Consider the two different eternal destinies, both probably represented in the room

Hell—eternal damnation and separation from God—is not a cartoon, it is the worst pain imaginable

I want you to know how you can be saved. 2 questions…

Have you decided to trust and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord?

Verse 12 makes clear you have to believe in Jesus to be saved

3 parts to that question…

1) “have you decided…?” (not someone else)

2) “Savior and Lord” (Romans 10:9)

3) “trust and follow” (entering into a life of discipleship)

Drew dying

Not about almost believing, almost confessing, almost being baptized, almost committing

What are you waiting for? Throw yourself on the mercy of God!

Are you persevering in trusting and following Jesus as Savior and Lord?

Verse 12-14 make clear it’s not about one moment of joyful hearing

Verse 15 isn’t about how good you are at producing fruit, but whether you’re persevering

Perseverance of the saints — 1 Cor. 15:1-2, Col. 1:21-23, 2 Tim. 2:11-13, Mk. 13:13

P/N — examples of not enduring

It’s not about how you start the race (or really how you finish the race), but whether you finish the race

Not “are you perfect in…”

It’s a lot like baseball

We start to worry that our batting average has gotten too low

It’s actually a team sport that can be won by one player (throwing a perfect game and hitting a home run)

But you still can’t quit if you want to be on the winning team!

It’s not about how good you’re batting average is, but if you’re still getting up there and swinging

John Piper story about an adulterous woman

People who are justified by the blood don’t continually justify their sin by the blood.

Not “are you perfect in killing off your sin?” but “are you persevering in fighting your sin?”

Not “does your belief in Jesus never waver” but “are you holding to your faith in Jesus even when it wavers”?

Will you persevere…?

…through the “sophomore slump”? (I’ve watched some of you go through it)

…once you graduate college?

…until the end?

If you want to know you’re saved, don’t forfeit your salvation by walking back

One more question to close…

Really one more question to close with

Used to wrestle with my salvation because of Matthew 7

Did I do the will of my father in heaven well enough?

The irony is the people who aren’t saved are trying to justify themselves based on their own actions (prophesying, exorcisms)

John 6:29 says the work of God is to believe in the Son I thought the question was “Am I enough?”

The real question was “Is Jesus enough?”