Assurance

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple. Heavenly creatures of fire stood above him. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face, two wings to cover its feet, and two wings for flying. Each creature was calling to the others: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord All-Powerful.
His glory fills the whole earth.”
Their calling caused the frame around the door to shake, as the Temple filled with smoke.

I said, “Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure, but I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”

One of the heavenly creatures used a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the altar. Then he flew to me with the hot coal in his hand. The creature touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, “Look, your guilt is taken away, because this hot coal has touched your lips. Your sin is taken away.”

Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom can I send? Who will go for us?”

So I said, “Here I am. Send me!” Isaiah 6:1-8 (NCV)

Lectionary texts: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17

Do you have assurance that Jesus has saved you from your sins (past, present, and future) and you will spend eternity with Him in Paradise? I listened to a discussion about “assurance” this weekend and then Henry and I spent a bit more time discussing it. Where does assurance comes from? How do I know I have it? Can I lose it?

I believe assurance comes from the Holy Spirit. It is through the Spirit’s knowledge and revelation that I hear the truth of my relationship with Jesus. The Spirit sifts through my feelings. The Spirit tests my feelings against the truth and then confirms what is real. Jesus promised that the Spirit would remind me of all that Jesus had taught me. The Bible can be a tool of the Spirit to show me the character of God. When I grow in my knowledge and understanding of the character of God then I also know that I have a living relationship with God that will continue to affirm His presence in my life until we meet face to face and living together for all eternity.

Can I lose my assurance? Absolutely. The battles of this world are deceitful and undermining to my assurance. It is so important that I “tend” (pay attention) to my spiritual health so that assurance continues to grow and is not strangled by the lies of the enemy. Jesus frequently told us about the aspects of farming. He warned us not to allow weeds to choke off the tender faith and to actively stay connected to Him. Peter warned that the devil prowls around like a lion waiting to “pick off” those who have decided to take their walk of faith alone and try to live away from the pack.

Just as Isaiah found out in this passage today, it is not what I bring to God that cements our relationship but it is what God does in me that opens the door to our life together forever and ever.

I am going to be away one more week. I hope that you will continue to join me in studying this week’s texts and allow the Holy Spirit to sow His assurance in you through God’s Word and His words to you.

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me.

I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.” John 15:4-6 (NCV)

Blessed Assurance by Fanny Crosby (1873)

 

 

See you next Monday!