20251102 The Link Between Assurance of Faith, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit

Welcome to Vertical Church

Good morning. In a world of uncertainty and turmoil it is good hear these words: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is life; where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom; where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace

And so, Let Us Worship God

Psalm 46:1–5 LSB

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains shake into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its lofty pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be shaken; God will help her when morning dawns.

Introduction: The Link Between Assurance of Faith, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit

The world series of baseball ended last night. A few nights ago on Oct 28 there was Frozen Frenzy when all 32 NHL teas played on the same night.

On Oct 27 there was a Sports Equinox when all four major sports - the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL all had games

Sports always reminds me that my identity is in Christ and not in my attachments to the things of this world. Whether my team wins or loses, I have a Savior who loves me and died for me

On this Sunday when we celebrate the Lord’s Table we want to take time to talk about the believer’s assurance of faith. Often we hear the phrase “assurance of salvation” but I believe the better term is assurance of faith. There is a huge difference between simply being told that you are going to heaven because you prayed a prayer, raised a hand, walked forward at a meeting and having a genuine and abiding faith in Jesus Christ that produces a transformed life that produces the fruit of the Spirit and

In both the Old and New Testaments, salvation has always been by grace alone through faith alone in God’s Redeemer, and in the New Testament this Redeemer is revealed to be Jesus of Nazareth and this is why He is called Jesus the Christ.

The reason I mention this is that almost all believers go through times of doubt and struggle. Many wonder if they have actually been saved, others struggle with forgiveness, some wonder if they are loved by God, and then there are those who look within themselves and feel that they are so internally wicked that there is no way that could be a genuine believer

This morning I want to remind you of the gospel by which you are saved, remind you of the promises that Paul has given us in Romans 8, and then remind you of the need to give yourself to prayer and especially of the Lord’s prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Psalms

(1) The link between the Holy Spirit, assurance of faith, and prayer

1 John 4:13 LSB

13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

1 John 5:13 LSB

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:14 LSB

14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

(2) The Holy Spirit’s role in assurance of faith

Romans 8:14–16 LSB

14 For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

(3) Prayer: How to grow in your assurance of faith

Charles Spurgeon

"I am so certain of my salvation I could grab a corn stalk swing over the flames of hell, look the devil in the eyes and sing blessed assurance Jesus is mine," though a more theological quote emphasizes that salvation is not based on changing feelings but on God's power. He also stated, "You see, then, there is no hope of salvation but what is fixed upon Christ alone," and encouraged believers to find assurance in God's promises, not in personal feelings or past decisions, as Spurgeon states, "full assurance is not essential to salvation, but it is essential to satisfaction,"

The True Position of Assurance - Eph 1:13

MANY sincerely-seeking souls are in great trouble because they have not yet attained to an assurance of their interest in Christ Jesus: they dare not take any comfort from their faith because they suppose that' it has not attained to a sufficient strength. They have believed in the Lord Jesus, and they have his promise that they shall be saved, but they are not content with this—they want to get assurance, and then they suppose they shall have a better evidence of their salvation than the bare word of the Saviour. Such persons are under a great mistake; but as that mistake is a very painful one, and exercises the most injurious influence upon them, we will spend this morning in trying, as God shall help us, to clear up their difficulty, and to let them see that if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though they should not have attained to the precious grace of full assurance of faith, yet nevertheless less they are saved, and being justified by faith, may rightfully enjoy peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Their mistake seems to me to be this—they look for ripe fruit upon a tree in spring, and because that season yields nothing but blossoms, they conclude the tree to be barren. They go to the head of a river—they find it a little rippling brook, and because it will not float a “Great Eastern,” they conclude that it will never reach the sea, and that in fact it is not a true part of the river at all. They look upon themselves as being little children, and such they are; but because they cannot speak plainly on account of having been so newly born, they therefore conclude that they are not the children of God at all. They see strong men in Christ Jesus performing great exploits; and because they as yet are but young and feeble, they conclude that they are not in the family of grace. They compare themselves with giants in the Church of God' and then because they rightly perceive the difference between themselves and these mighty ones, they imagine that they are not saved, that they cannot be numbered among the faithful, and have no part nor lot in this matter. They put the last things first. They make comforts essentials. They consider that which is the fruit of grace to be the root of grace, and herein they pierce themselves through with many sorrows. Perhaps they will not fall into this error again if they get a right understanding of the text before us.

To grow in our assurance can only be done if we are growing in the graces of prayer and scripture reading.

Both are the work of the Holy Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit is the true author of all Scripture, and second, through the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation we are able to be illuminated in our reading of the word and experience both conviction and wisdom. And third the Spirit aids us in our prayers by transforming our hearts and minds so that we begin t have Kingdom desires and Christ centered affections instead of worldly and selfish desires

Martin Luther’s barber once asked hi about prayer and so Dr Luther wrote a little book entitled, A Simple Way to Pray

His focus was on the Lord’s Prayer

Martin Luther said to memorize the Lord's Prayer, Ten Commandments, and Apostles' Creed. He wrote in the preface to his Small Catechism that these texts should be taught and committed to memory "word for word" to guide in prayer and as foundational elements of Christian doctrine.

Why: He saw them as the "three chief parts of the Christian religion" and essential for both new believers and mature Christians to learn and meditate on daily.

How: He advised teachers to have students memorize them "word for word" and provided guidance on using them to shape prayer, as explained in his Small Catechism and other writings.

Flock of the Lord Jesus Christ: May the Lord your shepherd refresh you in your daily places, stand beside you in your dark places, provide for you in your dangerous places, and welcome you into His dwelling places. Amen.