Blessed Assurance
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Text: Hebrews 10:19-26
I. If you died at this very moment, would the Lord place you in Heaven or Hell?
A. Most would answer, “I hope it would be in Heaven.”
B. Yet the answer lacks confidence. They are not certain.
C. But why not? Who else would know of your standing before God if not yourself?
II. God calls us to be confident
A. II Timothy 4:6-8 - Paul knew exactly what his fate was to be. Was he unique?
B. Hebrews 3:6 - We are of Christ’s house if we hold fast to our confidence to the end.
1. Notice what we must hold on solidly to: Our confidence! Not our uncertainty.
2. We have to hold on to the very end, because doubts creep in over time. - Hebrews 3:14
C. Confidence is important to our salvation.
III. What is the source of our confidence?
A. The full assurance of faith - Hebrews 10:19-23
1. Full confidence comes from complete trust in God
2. It is not a quiet trust, but one we are willing to confess what our expectations are to those around us.
3. Anything we do without confidence is sin - Romans 14:23
4. Look at Paul’s faith - II Timothy 1:8-12
a. He was a battered man.
b. People had worked hard against his efforts.
c. He is in prison with people willing to testify against him
d. Yet, Paul is still confident that God will guard his soul.
5. We have confident access to God through faith - Ephesians 3:10-12
B. The full assurance of understanding - Colossians 2:1-2
1. I remember the nervousness of starting to work at IBM. I didn’t know exactly what was expected of me or what I could expect of others.
a. I remember nervously asking a secretary if she could type up a form for me
b. I was nervous because of what I didn’t know.
2. As we grow as children of God, there is no need for self-doubt.
3. God has given us the standard by which we will be judged.
a. We don’t have to guess.
b. We don’t have to wonder if we are doing things right.
c. But it does mean we have to learn what is expected of us.
4. When we can read what God asks of us and still have doubt, then have we truly believed the promises of God?
C. The assurance of our obedience
1. We are confident in our knowledge of God, if we keep the commandments - I John 2:3-6
2. We must not cast it away in disobedience - Hebrews 10:32-36
D. Our confidence is derived from being close to God
1. We must abide in God so that we may have confidence - I John 2:28-29
2. God helps us in our confidence - Hebrews 13:5-6
E. Notice that in all these verses, confidence does not come from ourselves
1. Luke 18:9-14 - The Pharisee trusted in himself and not in God
2. Confidence in your own abilities can lead to falling - I Corinthians 10:12 (as I so well know!)
IV. What irritates so many is that when we have confidence, it shows.
A. Confidence in God gives us boldness to speak out - I Thessalonians 2:2
1. Notice how often early teaching is spoken of as boldness - Acts 4:13, 31; 9:28-29; (13:46; 14:3; 19:8)
2. II Corinthians 10:1-6 - Paul was bold in standing against error
B. Confidence will show in our prayers
1. I John 5:14 - Confidence to ask, because we know God’s will and because we trust our God
2. I John 3:18-22 - Confident to receive because we know God’s commandments, we keep those commandments, and our hearts do not condemn us.
C. This is why people so often say, “You people think you are the only ones being saved.”
1. It is the confidence in knowing God’s will and being confident that we are obeying that will that often irritates people.
2. They lack that confidence. They cannot justify their beliefs and actions with book, chapter, and verse.
V. God has given us every reason to be confident
A. We can have boldness at judgment day because we know God’s love for us - I John 4:17-19
B. Jesus, our Lord, understands what we face in this world - Hebrews 4:14-16
C. God wants us to be saved so much that Jesus died for us - Hebrews 10:19-20
D. This is why the righteous are as bold as lions - Proverbs 28:1
E. Will you not set aside your doubts and have confidence in God?
