January 25, 2024 • 41 mins
In this enlightening sermon, we delve into the journey of strengthening our faith in God, overcoming doubts that often surface in this process. We explore how to find assurance and peace in our faith and love towards our peers. The sermon underlines the importance of understanding the scriptures and the fundamental aspects of salvation, guiding us towards a peaceful life centered on God.
The sermon centers around the intricate connection between our heart and our faith, emphasizing the significance of our actions reflecting our words of love towards our peers. We will also explore the weight of our commitments to God and their implications on our relationships with Him and our fellow believers. With references to Old Testament principles, we are guided towards embracing a shift from obligatory to generous giving to affirm our faith.
With insights on faith, growth, and overcoming self-doubt, we will understand the importance of recognizing temptation as a part of our spiritual growth. This episode is a reminder that Christ has washed away all our sins and that there is no condemnation, nothing that separates us from his love, not even when we falter. Listeners will also understand that assurance and peace come, not from feelings or emotions, but from God's eternal promise and His Spirit within us.
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Episode Transcript
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Where peace can be found and for us to be able to sing tonight that our hope
and everything that we need is you and lord i pray that you would help that
to be the anthem of our heart help us to focus on your word as we study tonight
lord as we look to the assurances that are given,
lord as we study and try to recognize how our heart can condemn us and then
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resting in the the fact that you're greater than our heart.
Lord, I do pray that you'd help us. Lord, if there'd be one here tonight that
doesn't know your son as their savior, I pray that today would be the day of their salvation.
Lord, if there'd be one here that struggles with their salvation,
maybe there was a time in their life where they placed their faith and trust
in you, and then they just kind of wonder sometimes, am I really saved?
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Lord, I pray that tonight would help to fortify their their heart to give them confidence.
Lord, I pray that your word, your word would be effectual in the hearts and
lives of the hearer tonight.
Lord, lead and guide us as we preach and as we pray. Lord, I pray that we preach
your word faithfully and not our opinions.
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Lord, help us tonight to focus on you. In Christ's name, we pray all these things. Amen and amen.
Tonight, we complete this portion of Scripture, identifying a few areas,
and ultimately could be boiled down to two areas that matter most to God in our lives,
and that's found in our faith in Him and our love for other believers.
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Our faith in Him and our love for other believers.
Tonight we're going to focus on three things that stand out,
if you will, and the goal and the hope is that if you are one that struggles,
because, let's face it, most of us have struggled with our salvation.
This will be a fun exercise.
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Sometimes that makes people nervous, but I think it'll be a fun exercise.
Just out of pure honesty, how many of you that are saved here tonight have ever,
at any point since your salvation, doubted your salvation?
And my hand's up too, just so you know. Okay, I would say that's 100%.
That's the majority. Okay, maybe
99.9%. The majority have, especially when you get saved at a young age.
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It's very easy to doubt your salvation when you're saved at a young age,
or maybe you're just in general saved and the cares of this world overtake us.
And there are times when we doubt, and that's not a bad thing.
That's not a negative thing. Oh, I doubt, so I must not be living right.
That's not necessarily what the Scripture teaches. The Bible clearly says here
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in the verse that we're looking at in verse 20, if our heart condemn us, if our heart condemn us.
It's interesting to me how many times we'll have a message that is preached
where someone will say you got a head knowledge, but not a heart knowledge.
And yet the head and the heart are tied together in scripture. They're not separated.
They're not separated. Well, you think you're saved, but you're not saved.
That's unbiblical and unscriptural.
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Matter of fact, I cannot stand that statement so much that I would almost put
it into the same category as a manipulation, as a manipulation to get numbers.
I read a man tonight, this afternoon, a pastor who had visited a church,
and one of the things that he cannot stand is mass salvations.
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What we mean by that, not that God can't save many people at once,
but it's the idea of the one, two, three, repeat after me. If you want to go
to heaven, raise your hand.
Everybody raise their hand. say this prayer if you're in your heart and
you'll go to heaven they say this prayer now how many of you got saved in
a group of 40 80 people got saved you know
what i mean by that a lot of times these types of
things are used and they are kind of a manipulation tactic it really is now
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we may not the people may not have that motive in their heart or at least to
them but let's be honest here scripture is very clear on what salvation is and
there are some things that have to be understood understood,
right, in order for us to know that we're saved.
Some things have to be understood, some things that we have to have faith in,
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and ultimately it's that Jesus is God in the flesh, amen, that he died and was
buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scripture for our sins, because we are sinners.
And that's just a very core foundational understanding, and I believe that you
need Scripture because it's the Word of God where the seed is planted,
The Word of God is the seed of the new life that begins.
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And so we see that in Scripture as well. And so tonight can be extremely encouraging
if we focus on this from the scriptural perspective and understanding what God
is trying to teach us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the human author of John.
Now, if we will, this evening, I have three things. Number one,
I want us to see a truth that assures.
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Truth that assures. Verse 19, and hereby we know that we are of the truth and
shall assure our hearts before him.
Now, we notice where we left off, because in order for us to continue where
we left off or to understand the context of this verse, these verses aren't disjointed, right?
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They're together. They work together. They flow together.
And so in order for us to see, and hereby we know, we got to know what he just described.
And that's verse 18. My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
One of the ways that we can recognize that we are of the truth is when love
is an action toward other believers.
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When love is an action toward other believers. That is one of the ways that
we can know that we've passed from death unto life.
Not just that we say, oh, I love you, brother in Christ. I love you, sister in Christ.
But there is an action that goes with that. It could be that that action is
you sacrifice some of your time and you talk to God on their behalf.
That is outwardly a sacrifice because you're taking time where you could be
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planning for your day, where you could be sleeping, where you could be, you know, tweeting.
I don't know, Instagramming, you know, whatever.
Where you could be doing snapping. There's a whole other social thing that I
just got invited to this week.
And I downloaded it and I looked at it and I just instantly got mad.
The older I get, the more mad I get at all these stupid social media things.
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I don't know why. You know, 10 years ago, I'd have made fun of me.
Me now. Because I used to love it. Now I'm just like, that's one more thing on my phone.
You know, I got to keep up with. So I just refuse to open it.
That's just one of those things. things.
But whatever it is, we're sacrificing our time to go to God on the behalf of
a brother or sister. That is an action.
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Amen. Amen. Where's my button? Amen. Oh, it's on my desk.
Jade, never mind. I'm just kidding. No, don't worry about it.
I need Brother Royce so I get that microphone and go, amen.
That'll be on the recording then. Love is an action.
It is not not just words. And that's what we learned last week.
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There's love that we're supposed to have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
And so hereby, verse 19, we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our
hearts before him. Notice we can assure our hearts.
I want us to take some time this evening, if you will, just to look up this
word, assure. Look at Leviticus chapter 27.
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Leviticus 27. If you will, please, let's look there and I want us to look at
this first mention. I think first mentions are important.
They tend to give us some understanding of at least how the word will be used
going forward in Scripture.
Leviticus chapter 27, look at verse 19. We'll just go straight to the verse,
and then we'll deal with the context of the chapter in just a moment. Leviticus 27, 19.
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And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it,
then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it,
and it shall be assured to him.
And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another
man, it shall not be redeemed anymore. more.
So Leviticus chapter 27 is a chapter dealing with vows that are made to God.
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Vows that are made. These vows were promises that were made to God with regard to giving.
These were not vows of I'll live right or, you know, I'm going to go to the
altar and promise to, you know, never turn on my television until I've read,
you know, obviously they weren't praying those things back then,
right? Those aren't the vows that we're talking about.
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These were promises made to God with regard to giving that which was above and
beyond what the law required the people of Israel to give. Now, pause.
I always like to take opportunity when we're dealing with the tithe.
The tithe is an Old Testament principle.
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What was the tithe required by? The law.
What are we no longer hunger under, based on what we've been studying, the law.
Well, then how much do I give out of the abundance of your heart?
Well, there's no number on that. That's the point. You give out of the abundance of your heart.
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That's the New Testament scriptural of giving. That's the New Testament.
Well, tithe means 10th, and we should at least give 10%. Hey,
that's a great standard. I've tried to live by that.
But if someone can't afford to give 10%, oh, everybody can afford to give 10%.
That's usually said by someone who's never had to live on something where they
couldn't afford to give 10%. You know what I mean?
Or maybe someone who has a greater faith than someone, you know,
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whatever the case may be. But ultimately, the 10% was an Old Testament law.
And if someone gives less than that, does that mean they're less of a Christian?
Or they love God less? Absolutely not.
How do we give in the New Testament church? Out of the abundance of our heart.
Do you know what that means? That means some people could give more than 10%.
Amen? Oh, no, that's the max. No, no, no, there is no max with God. Amen?
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Now, all that to help us to understand, these are law principles. We're not under the law.
God liberated us from the law by the gift of His only begotten Son.
And so this vow that we see here, and the first time we see the word assured,
the reason it's important to have that understanding is because these were things
that people would promise. The Bible uses the word sanctify,
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which is to set apart for a specific use.
To sanctify, go back to verse 14, Leviticus 27, look at verse 14.
And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord,
then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad,
as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
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And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth
part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
And so this is a vow, a promise to give, to set apart for God the house.
And if you keep reading verse 17 and 16, you're dealing with the sanctification of the field.
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And that's what he's dealing with in verse 19 as well. The setting apart of
the field, giving it to God above and beyond the tenth that was required by law.
And so these requirements were, again, these were in no way requirements to give above.
But if you vowed that you're going to do this, then this was how it would have to be accomplished.
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And if, and then bringing us to verse 19, he that sanctified the field will
in any wise redeem it, what is redemption?
It is to purchase back that which was formally given or that which was formally
taken or that which was formally bought to purchase it back.
And so what a beautiful thing in the law that we see right here in the promise of the vows.
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We see sanctification and redemption, both right here, dealing with fields and
houses, people that would set apart things for God and then redeem it back.
And so when the Bible tells us we're to be sanctified, we're set apart for God.
And then it identifies that we've been redeemed. We were bought back.
Bought from what? bought out from under the curse of sin, death,
hell, and the grave, and the law.
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He redeemed us. All of that pictured right here. Isn't that wonderful?
See what we'd miss when we stop reading in January or through the Bible in a
year and we get to Leviticus and we're going through the law and our head's
spinning? We miss these things.
This was a promise that was to be kept. So in verse 19, the redemption of the
field, to buy it back, what was formerly theirs, to buy back that land,
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to redeem it, that which was vowed to the priest,
they had to pay the fifth of the estimation of the value to assure it to them.
And so assurance was a guarantee. Guarantee.
It was a confident knowledge by promise that if I give this,
this is coming back to me. This is what I'm getting in return.
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Another word that we like to see is an assurance, and another Bible word that
is synonymous with assurance is the word earnest.
And some of you know where we would go with that in the book of Ephesians.
We find that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of
our inheritance the promised payment
that the inheritance is assured and
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so we see those things tied together what we
are of the truth because of
one reason and one reason only because we
believed god's word let's look at john
chapter 8 if you will please john chapter 8 now all
of that to help us to understand that we are
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assured and again that's our text first
john 319 hereby we know that we are of the
truth and shall assure our hearts before him john chapter 8 verse let's go back
to verse 43 verse 42 verse 42 jesus said unto them if god were your father.
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Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father
of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
And in the same gospel, in John 3, verse 18, those that believe not,
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the Bible says, are condemned already.
Keep that in mind for future reference.
Verse 46, which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth,
why do you not believe me?
He that is of God heareth God's, what?
Words. Ye therefore hear them not, because you're not of God.
See, the Pharisees had already decided that they were not going to believe Jesus.
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And even though Jesus is the living word, and Jesus is speaking the word of
God, they would not believe it. They would not hear him.
And so they could not hear God's word.
We are of the truth because we
have placed our faith in what
God's word says amen now
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there's all kinds of apologetics there's all kinds of debate there's all kinds
of grace and truth discussions that you can have but at the end of the day when
you lay your head on your pillow at night you have the truth and can be assured
in your heart because you simply just believe what what God said.
And that's the very beginning of salvation.
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Faith. Some people say, well, faith is a cop-out.
Faith is a crutch. Faith is not a crutch or a cop-out. Faith is the foundation.
Faith is the foundation upon which we understand who Jesus is, and we trust that.
Amen? We trust that. So we see a truth that assures.
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Number two, we get to the quote-unquote heart of the matter.
1 John 3 and verse 20, the heart of the matter.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
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Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God.
Two things under the heart of the matter that I want us to see.
Letter A, condemnation brings doubt.
So point number one, we have the truth that assures. Point number two,
you have quote-unquote the heart of the matter.
The heart of the matter.
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Letter A, under the heart of the matter, we recognize from our text that condemnation brings doubt.
What is condemnation? Let's go to Exodus for that.
This is one of those sermons that it's not exciting to deliver because it's
filled with a lot of facts,
but it's exciting to me because it's these truths that helped me at a young
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age, and I don't mean young like 14, 15, 16.
I mean before I became a pastor in my early 20s,
finally come to the place to where when I wrestled with doubt,
doubt, I could cast it aside and be settled on the knowledge of the Word of God.
Let me help you with something. And I say this in all love. Salvation is not based on an emotion.
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It's not based on an emotion. Some people don't cry. Do you know that? Some people don't cry.
When I got saved, I had been struggling for about two weeks.
I was eight years old. I'd been struggling for for about two weeks.
I was a couple months away from being nine.
And for about two weeks, I'd really been just, I've never placed my faith in Christ.
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Never trusted that death, burial, and resurrection. And I knew that.
I've grown up in church my whole life.
Listen, this is how, we were at church when the doors were open and we didn't
go to a church where the doors were only open on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Literally, there was something happening on that property property every day
of the week, and we were there every day of the week.
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Y'all don't even know. Amen.
I'm talking. I'd get out of school.
Mom would pick me up. We'd go to the church.
I can't tell you what we did there every day. Sometimes I felt like we just
went, so mom didn't have to take us home.
I don't know. I had no idea. Sometimes there was stuff happening.
Sometimes there wasn't, but we were at the church all the time.
My parents loved being at the church. They loved being a part of things.
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They volunteered for everything, even the stuff they didn't know know how to do.
They just showed up. And then, you know, my dad's philosophy was,
you know, I might not be a bright man, but I can work.
That was my dad's philosophy. You know, I can move something.
I can pick something up. My dad could, he'd hurt somebody. Amen.
And so when I was eight years old, by the time I got to that point in my life,
I had had multiple opportunities to hear the gospel clearly and plainly.
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When I was five years old, I remember on the way home from Awana's,
which is, some of you know what that is, some of you don't. That's kind of like
our Wednesday night master club.
Our Wednesday night master club is a little better, I think.
I think it has more doctrine and more things in there than Awana's,
but it's neither here nor there. Things have changed over the past 30 years.
And I recognized something at five years old. I needed Jesus.
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But I didn't understand the complexity of that. Not the complexity,
rather, the simplicity of it. But I also didn't understand why I needed.
I just knew I needed Jesus.
And I remember getting on the floorboard of my mom's car and I remember praying
a prayer and then getting and sitting back in the seat. Thought I was good to go.
Was fine until many years later, eight years old,
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had been through a few services where it seemed like
every message was about the gospel seemed
like every message was just about salvation and at
eight years old finally went to a christian baseball camp where we
had they did drills and exercises and and filled
it and batted and all those things during the day and then in the afternoon
this was in the springtime in the afternoon we had it at inca high school up
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in in candler north carolina had the the baseball program there and we did all
the drills and exercises in the afternoon you know to bring bring out the juice
boxes and the snacks and everybody's, you know, getting comfortable.
And then one of the men would, would bring the word of God.
And on that Friday, I remember in the band room of Inca high school,
I sat on one of those, one of those benches.
I don't even know if they still have those risers like that in band room.
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They still have those risers. We just sit on the riser. Y'all know anybody in band?
No, they don't have them, AJ. They don't have the risers. Okay.
Anyway, I was just a different school.
Y'all probably fancier than we were, but anyway, we remember sitting there on
the front riser. And I remember the, I remember the gospel being being presented.
And I remember just coming to the realization, if I died right now,
I'd go to hell. I don't know Christ.
And so I went forward, placed my faith and trust in Christ. And I know that
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that's the moment that I trusted God. Didn't cry.
Didn't have an emotional experience. Just went forward.
Now, here's what happened. One of the reasons, and I'm telling you this,
I'm giving you some of my testimony, right?
Because I want us to see some things. As I grew up and became came a Christian
and started going to certain camp meetings, revival meetings,
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tent meetings, you know what I'm talking about, it would be this amazing experience that's happening.
And I mean, people pouring out of the seats into the altar, just weeping and
wailing and getting saved.
And I would leave from that going, I didn't go through that.
Maybe I'm not saved.
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Shouldn't I have cried or something you know what I mean by some of you know what I'm talking about,
These are the verses, these are the truths that helped me to understand that
there are people that are on their way to hell today because they think they're
saved because of an emotional experience.
Well, you don't know what I felt. Doesn't matter what you felt.
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Amen? Salvation is not a feeling.
Salvation is a recognition and a placing of faith.
Now, does that mean if somebody was moved to tears and placed their faith that they're not?
No, no, no, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that my salvation is not
settled, amen, your salvation should not be settled on your emotional experience
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that you went through when you got saved if you went through one.
Your salvation is settled by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and Him alone.
That's what salvation is settled upon. And if your salvation is settled upon
anything other other than the gospel, then you're not saved. Amen.
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Your salvation is founded. Your birth is founded in the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and placing your faith in that.
And that can simply be, Lord, I trust what you said.
I trust who your only begotten son is.
I trust that without him, I'd be lost and undone and in my own sins and on my
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way to hell. But Lord, I'm trusting that you are truth.
And my faith is in that. God, have mercy upon me.
Right? Not those exact words, but that's the mentality.
Okay? Now, Exodus chapter 22 gave you plenty of time. That's a hard book to
find, so I want to make sure you had plenty of time to find it. Amen?
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Exodus chapter 22, verse 7.
We're dealing with condemnation. Because condemnation brings doubt.
Out and the Bible deals with in 1 John 3 that there are those whose hearts condemn
them, but they're not condemned by God.
It's interesting. Exodus 22, look at verse 7. If a man shall deliver unto his
neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house,
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if the thief be found, let him pay double.
If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto
the judges to see whether he have put his hands unto his his neighbor's goods.
For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep,
for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be
his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges,
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and whom the judges shall, what?
Condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbor.
Condemnation. The first time we see condemnation in Scripture,
it's identified with judging error, finding fault.
In error. In Deuteronomy chapter 25, here's some verses to write for sake of
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time, if you will, Deuteronomy 25 and verse 1.
If there be a controversy between men and they come unto judgment,
that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
So condemnation is identified with error.
Condemnation is identified with the opposite. Justification.
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Justification is a suitability to righteousness.
That's the definition. It's not not just as if I never sinned.
There's some things that are justified in life that have nothing to do with that.
Justification is to find a suitability in what is right to be justified.
Now, all of these things are helpful for us and they're wonderful truths for
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us to recognize and understand because you've been justified before God.
You've been found suitably righteous.
Now, that's hard to believe for some of us. Amen.
But that's how God views us. The moment that we've passed from death into life,
The moment that we have gotten saved, the moment that we placed our faith and
trust in Christ and Christ alone, we became, in the eyes of God,
suitably righteous, perfect and without error.
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Now, that's a whole other subject for a whole other opportunity.
To condemn is to find error in proving to be unrighteous.
And our text indicates that our hearts can condemn us, causing us to doubt.
That's why Romans 8 is so important. Look at Romans 8 now, if you will,
please. Romans chapter 8.
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Actually, let's start at Romans chapter 7, the last part. Verse 25.
The last verse of Romans chapter 7.
Romans chapter 7, verse 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God.
But with the flesh, the law of what? Sin. Again, we see the mind.
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I serve God with the mind. right here's here's my favorite one people say the
heart and the mind are disconnected as a man thinketh in his what where do we
think that's where we think.
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve
the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans chapter 7, by way of review, gives us an understanding of the spiritual
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warfare that we face every day with our flesh.
We have a spirit within us. It's the Spirit of God that He has given to us,
the earnest of our inheritance, and He's revived our spirit and enjoined our spirit with His spirit.
Colossians, our spirit's been cut away from the body of this flesh.
That's why Paul can say the things that I do it's not
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I but it's sin that dwelleth in me that's verse 17
of Romans chapter 7 why because there's
a battle your flesh is still existing and
your flesh still wants what it wants we should
really change that saying from the heart wants what the heart wants
to your flesh wants what the flesh wants we're
carnal in nature we're born that way and just because we're saved doesn't mean
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all of a sudden oh man i just love the things of god i hate wickedness oh somebody
comes to me and offers me drugs i don't even want that,
now some of you don't and that's true amen and i i'm with you on that amen somebody
come up to you oh come on try a little bit and we all joke about it and what's
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funny is teenagers laugh about it and they snicker at it,
but every teenager is going to be offered some type of temptation.
And if we view every temptation as a joke, you are weak, man.
Because we have to recognize temptation for what it is. But that doesn't happen
just because we get saved. Amen?
We have to grow in grace and grow in truth. And we have to learn of God.
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And we have to grow and strengthen the Spirit. Why?
Because there is evil present within me. This flesh.
Now all of that brings us to this point where he says, I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So with the mind, I myself serve the law of God,
and with the flesh, the law of sin.
Chapter 8 and verse 1, there is therefore now, how much condemnation?
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No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Do you know that in the eyes of God, it is impossible for you to walk after the flesh?
It is impossible for a Christian to walk after the flesh. Why?
Because you've already walked after the Spirit. You've been made a new creature.
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Behold, old things, all things are passed away. All things become what? New.
It is impossible for you to walk after the flesh in the eyes of God. Why?
Because you have been given the gift of His Son.
So when the Father sees you, He sees Jesus. Jesus, that's what Christ did for you at salvation.
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That's why Paul can write in Romans and we can stand in confidence.
Well, you don't know what I've done.
Let me go ahead and say it. I know I've said it before from this pulpit,
but I'm going to help you again. I don't care what you've done.
By the way, neither does God, because there's no condemnation.
Well, what does that mean? All the sins that we've committed after salvation,
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are we not given account for that? No.
It's all been taken care of. Well, what's the judgment seat of Christ? That's our work.
That's what we've done with this gift that he's given us and what we do with
it, whether whether we take and put it on a shelf and leave it there to collect
dust, or whether we use it for Him, for His glory.
But ultimately, that has to do with the work that He has given each and every
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individual that is saved to do.
It has nothing to do with your sin, because Jesus took care of that.
All of the sins are washed away, not just the ones prior to salvation. All of them.
That's why we recognize there is therefore now no condemnation.
And what is condemnation? condemnation is that
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error proving us to be unrighteous it
doesn't exist if you're saved
even when and this is my favorite part look look back at first john first john
chapter 3 verse 20 for if our heart what condemn us there's going to come times
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in your life when you will be self-condemning.
Oh, I've messed up. No way a Christian would act like that. No way a Christian
would treat another brother like that.
No way a Christian would lack faith like that. If our heart condemn us,
God is greater than our hearts.
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I love that.
In the moment of despair, in the moment of weakness, in the moment of self-doubt,
in the moment of self-condemnation, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things.
So, letter A, condemnation brings doubt.
Letter B, no condemnation brings confidence. Look at verse 21.
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Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we what?
Confidence. You see it? Verse 21, then have we what? Oh, man,
Man, y'all are killing me. Then have we what?
Confidence. Amen. You got to say that word confidently. You know what I mean?
My kids, you ask them to read a word they don't know. And one of the ones,
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one of my kids, I'm not going to say who, they don't say the word onion. They say onion.
Jungian like with a g so i'm just like if
you can't say it right just just don't just just try your best to pronounce
it but you know so so then when they go to say it they slow down now because
i've gotten on to them because they lack confidence so some of some of you are
reading the word confident like you're not sure if you're pronouncing it properly
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amen confidence amen what do we have.
Confidence toward god now i want us to notice this confidence toward god is
found when we have have a heart that recognizes God is greater and we stand uncondemned.
If you understand and recognize that God is greater than your heart and that
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before him, even when you mess up, you're not condemned,
then you have a confidence that allows you to approach God with that confidence
as a child approaches a father who they know is loving.
1 John 2.28, this is the reminder of our confidence can be strengthened when we abide in him.
1 John 2.28, now little little children abide in him that when he shall appear,
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we may have confidence and not be ashamed at his before him at his coming.
This brings a confidence is further elaborated in chapter five.
Look at first John five, verse 14, very quickly. And we're going to get to the
latter to the final part to part number three. And we're doing great.
We're doing good. First John five and verse 14.
First John five and verse 14. I'm pre-warning you. I'm going to have you help me.
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And this is the what?
Confidence. That's good. That we have in him. What's the confidence?
That if we ask anything according to his will, he will, he heareth us.
I really don't know how to express the overwhelming joy that that brings to
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my heart. to have a scriptural truth.
The father hears me to have a
biblical understanding that he
hears us verse 15 the same passage look at
it and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we
ask we know that we have the petitions
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that we desired of him
and that leads us to this final portion
number three confidence in receiving receiving confidence
in receiving first john chapter 3 verse 22 very
quickly please and whatsoever we ask
we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that
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are pleasing in his sight our confidence is contingent upon these two things
keeping his commandments and doing those things that are pleasing in his sight
what are his commandments 1 John 3, 23,
and this is His commandment.
Aren't you grateful that He doesn't just say, keep my commandments,
and then you've got to try to figure out what they are?
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He tells you, see, they're with me. Amen? He tells you exactly what they are. Look at verse 23.
This is His commandment, that we should what?
Believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and what? Faith and love.
That's His commandment. Faith in the one that he sent to die for us,
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his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment.
Seems elementary, but it's foundational to being able to ask him anything.
Faith and love. We keep his commandments, and then we've got to live a life
that's pleasing in his sight.
Colossians 1, if you will, write this down and go back and study it at your
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leisure. Colossians 1, 9-12, we see many instances in Scripture that can be
quickly noted as areas where we're told that we can live a life that's pleasing to God.
Colossians 3, 9, we see the prayer of Paul for the church at Colossae.
And he identifies several areas that Paul prayed that they would abound unto the pleasing of God.
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And here are a few of those areas. Wisdom.
It pleases God when we seek His wisdom. That's pleasing to God.
What else? Spiritual understanding.
Spiritual understanding. You know, it's one thing to read your Bible to check a list.
It's another thing to read the Bible and to ask God to show you exactly what
your heart needs to live a life that's pleasing to Him. And you can do both at the same time.
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God, I'm going to be reading. You know I'm trying to read through the Bible in a year.
You know I'm trying to read through the New Testament in a year.
You know I'm just trying to read through this gospel in the next two months.
I'm trying to get through these four chapters in the next year and a half.
That's what I'm trying to do, Lord. You know my heart. I want to read. I'm not a reader.
It's difficult for me. But Lord, if you will help me to understand the truth
of your word that I need to live a life that's pleasing to you.
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Do you know what that's called? Spiritual understanding.
Do you know what he says? He'll give it to you.
Give it to you. Wisdom, spiritual understanding, to be fruitful in every good
work. God wants us to be focused on the good work that we have been given.
How about growing in the knowledge of God? God, I want to know more about you.
I want to know more about your character. I want to know about your holiness.
I want to know why is it so important to you that the temple be built this way?
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God, why is it so important to you that we understand that the fruit be harvested this way?
Why is it so important to you this year of Jubilee that is given where everybody's
inheritance is given back to them and the slaves are freed and all of those things.
Lord, is it so that we recognize that the earth is yours and every person is yours?
What is it? Growing in the knowledge of God. God, what is it about?
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I want to know more about you. Patience.
Colossians chapter 1 verses 9 through 12. We also see patience.
Patience is pleasing to God. What are we doing right now? We're patiently waiting for his return.
Amen. We're patiently waiting for his return. Not fed fed up with it?
Would I have loved for him to come back last year? Absolutely.
Could he come back this year? Absolutely.
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Am I going to keep serving him if he waits another hundred years?
Absolutely. Lord willing, that's the goal. That's my heart's desire. I'm patiently waiting.
Listen, there's nothing better I can do with my life other than patiently wait
for him and work while I'm waiting.
Patience is pleasing to God. These last two in Colossians chapter one,
Long-suffering with joyfulness.
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Well, that's a difficult one. To suffer long is one thing, but to suffer long
and to be joyful about your suffering?
Paul really gives us the answer when he says, I reckon that the sufferings of
this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed unto him.
That's how you can suffer long with joy. Long-suffering with joyfulness.
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You ever seen somebody who just trusts, Their faith just seems to be so built
up, or their love of God seems,
and they go through the harshest, most miserable thing, and yet they just can't
help but be happy, joyful in spirit.
Do you know what that is? That's someone who understands what long-suffering
with joyfulness is. And then the final one, being thankful.
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Being thankful. Colossians 1, 9-12. Look at that prayer for Paul that's tied to the pleasing.
Being pleasing to God. Walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.
Amazing wisdom, spiritual understanding, fruitful in every good work,
the knowledge of God, patience, long-suffering with joyfulness,
and then having a heart of thankfulness.
Oh, by the way, Colossians 3 and verse 20, children, obey your parents in all
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things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.
Young people you want to live a life that's pleasing obey your
parents oh it's easy so you don't know my mom
and dad i don't know your mom and dad god gave them
to you and god gave you to them oh
they're oppressive they don't even love the lord god knew that amen that's clearly
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in scripture children obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing
unto the lord Lord. Do you struggle with your salvation?
Do you keep his commandments living in the truth of scripture that the faith
has only begotten son as Jesus of Nazareth, his death, burial,
and resurrection? Do you love other believers?
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Friend, you can take peace in knowing that God is greater than your heart.
And we're going to end with this verse, 1 John 3, verse 24.
I told you we're going to finish this chapter tonight. Verse 24,
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth abideth in him and he in him.
And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit, capital S, which he hath given us.
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Where is our assurance found? It's not an emotion. It's not in a feeling.
It's in the promise of the gift of the Spirit of God that he gave you at the moment of salvation.
Salvation and even when you don't feel saved that spirit has never left you
god's promise is eternal have confidence in him dwell in him make him the focus of your life,
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you'll have a peace that no one can understand so let's stand and dismiss in a word of prayer.
Where peace can be found and for us to be able to sing tonight that our hope
and everything that we need is you and lord i pray that you would help that
to be the anthem of our heart help us to focus on your word as we study tonight
lord as we look to the assurances that are given,
lord as we study and try to recognize how our heart can condemn us and then
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resting in the the fact that you're greater than our heart.
Lord, I do pray that you'd help us. Lord, if there'd be one here tonight that
doesn't know your son as their savior, I pray that today would be the day of their salvation.
Lord, if there'd be one here that struggles with their salvation,
maybe there was a time in their life where they placed their faith and trust
in you, and then they just kind of wonder sometimes, am I really saved?
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Lord, I pray that tonight would help to fortify their their heart to give them confidence.
Lord, I pray that your word, your word would be effectual in the hearts and
lives of the hearer tonight.
Lord, lead and guide us as we preach and as we pray. Lord, I pray that we preach
your word faithfully and not our opinions.
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Lord, help us tonight to focus on you. In Christ's name, we pray all these things. Amen and amen.
Tonight, we complete this portion of Scripture, identifying a few areas,
and ultimately could be boiled down to two areas that matter most to God in our lives,
and that's found in our faith in Him and our love for other believers.
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Our faith in Him and our love for other believers.
Tonight we're going to focus on three things that stand out,
if you will, and the goal and the hope is that if you are one that struggles,
because, let's face it, most of us have struggled with our salvation.
This will be a fun exercise.
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Sometimes that makes people nervous, but I think it'll be a fun exercise.
Just out of pure honesty, how many of you that are saved here tonight have ever,
at any point since your salvation, doubted your salvation?
And my hand's up too, just so you know. Okay, I would say that's 100%.
That's the majority. Okay, maybe
99.9%. The majority have, especially when you get saved at a young age.
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It's very easy to doubt your salvation when you're saved at a young age,
or maybe you're just in general saved and the cares of this world overtake us.
And there are times when we doubt, and that's not a bad thing.
That's not a negative thing. Oh, I doubt, so I must not be living right.
That's not necessarily what the Scripture teaches. The Bible clearly says here
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in the verse that we're looking at in verse 20, if our heart condemn us, if our heart condemn us.
It's interesting to me how many times we'll have a message that is preached
where someone will say you got a head knowledge, but not a heart knowledge.
And yet the head and the heart are tied together in scripture. They're not separated.
They're not separated. Well, you think you're saved, but you're not saved.
That's unbiblical and unscriptural.
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Matter of fact, I cannot stand that statement so much that I would almost put
it into the same category as a manipulation, as a manipulation to get numbers.
I read a man tonight, this afternoon, a pastor who had visited a church,
and one of the things that he cannot stand is mass salvations.
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What we mean by that, not that God can't save many people at once,
but it's the idea of the one, two, three, repeat after me. If you want to go
to heaven, raise your hand.
Everybody raise their hand. say this prayer if you're in your heart and
you'll go to heaven they say this prayer now how many of you got saved in
a group of 40 80 people got saved you know
what i mean by that a lot of times these types of
things are used and they are kind of a manipulation tactic it really is now
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we may not the people may not have that motive in their heart or at least to
them but let's be honest here scripture is very clear on what salvation is and
there are some things that have to be understood understood,
right, in order for us to know that we're saved.
Some things have to be understood, some things that we have to have faith in,
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and ultimately it's that Jesus is God in the flesh, amen, that he died and was
buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scripture for our sins, because we are sinners.
And that's just a very core foundational understanding, and I believe that you
need Scripture because it's the Word of God where the seed is planted,
The Word of God is the seed of the new life that begins.
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And so we see that in Scripture as well. And so tonight can be extremely encouraging
if we focus on this from the scriptural perspective and understanding what God
is trying to teach us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the human author of John.
Now, if we will, this evening, I have three things. Number one,
I want us to see a truth that assures.
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Truth that assures. Verse 19, and hereby we know that we are of the truth and
shall assure our hearts before him.
Now, we notice where we left off, because in order for us to continue where
we left off or to understand the context of this verse, these verses aren't disjointed, right?
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They're together. They work together. They flow together.
And so in order for us to see, and hereby we know, we got to know what he just described.
And that's verse 18. My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
One of the ways that we can recognize that we are of the truth is when love
is an action toward other believers.
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When love is an action toward other believers. That is one of the ways that
we can know that we've passed from death unto life.
Not just that we say, oh, I love you, brother in Christ. I love you, sister in Christ.
But there is an action that goes with that. It could be that that action is
you sacrifice some of your time and you talk to God on their behalf.
That is outwardly a sacrifice because you're taking time where you could be
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planning for your day, where you could be sleeping, where you could be, you know, tweeting.
I don't know, Instagramming, you know, whatever.
Where you could be doing snapping. There's a whole other social thing that I
just got invited to this week.
And I downloaded it and I looked at it and I just instantly got mad.
The older I get, the more mad I get at all these stupid social media things.
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I don't know why. You know, 10 years ago, I'd have made fun of me.
Me now. Because I used to love it. Now I'm just like, that's one more thing on my phone.
You know, I got to keep up with. So I just refuse to open it.
That's just one of those things. things.
But whatever it is, we're sacrificing our time to go to God on the behalf of
a brother or sister. That is an action.
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Amen. Amen. Where's my button? Amen. Oh, it's on my desk.
Jade, never mind. I'm just kidding. No, don't worry about it.
I need Brother Royce so I get that microphone and go, amen.
That'll be on the recording then. Love is an action.
It is not not just words. And that's what we learned last week.
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There's love that we're supposed to have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
And so hereby, verse 19, we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our
hearts before him. Notice we can assure our hearts.
I want us to take some time this evening, if you will, just to look up this
word, assure. Look at Leviticus chapter 27.
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Leviticus 27. If you will, please, let's look there and I want us to look at
this first mention. I think first mentions are important.
They tend to give us some understanding of at least how the word will be used
going forward in Scripture.
Leviticus chapter 27, look at verse 19. We'll just go straight to the verse,
and then we'll deal with the context of the chapter in just a moment. Leviticus 27, 19.
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And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it,
then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it,
and it shall be assured to him.
And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another
man, it shall not be redeemed anymore. more.
So Leviticus chapter 27 is a chapter dealing with vows that are made to God.
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Vows that are made. These vows were promises that were made to God with regard to giving.
These were not vows of I'll live right or, you know, I'm going to go to the
altar and promise to, you know, never turn on my television until I've read,
you know, obviously they weren't praying those things back then,
right? Those aren't the vows that we're talking about.
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These were promises made to God with regard to giving that which was above and
beyond what the law required the people of Israel to give. Now, pause.
I always like to take opportunity when we're dealing with the tithe.
The tithe is an Old Testament principle.
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What was the tithe required by? The law.
What are we no longer hunger under, based on what we've been studying, the law.
Well, then how much do I give out of the abundance of your heart?
Well, there's no number on that. That's the point. You give out of the abundance of your heart.
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That's the New Testament scriptural of giving. That's the New Testament.
Well, tithe means 10th, and we should at least give 10%. Hey,
that's a great standard. I've tried to live by that.
But if someone can't afford to give 10%, oh, everybody can afford to give 10%.
That's usually said by someone who's never had to live on something where they
couldn't afford to give 10%. You know what I mean?
Or maybe someone who has a greater faith than someone, you know,
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whatever the case may be. But ultimately, the 10% was an Old Testament law.
And if someone gives less than that, does that mean they're less of a Christian?
Or they love God less? Absolutely not.
How do we give in the New Testament church? Out of the abundance of our heart.
Do you know what that means? That means some people could give more than 10%.
Amen? Oh, no, that's the max. No, no, no, there is no max with God. Amen?
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Now, all that to help us to understand, these are law principles. We're not under the law.
God liberated us from the law by the gift of His only begotten Son.
And so this vow that we see here, and the first time we see the word assured,
the reason it's important to have that understanding is because these were things
that people would promise. The Bible uses the word sanctify,
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which is to set apart for a specific use.
To sanctify, go back to verse 14, Leviticus 27, look at verse 14.
And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord,
then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad,
as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
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And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth
part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
And so this is a vow, a promise to give, to set apart for God the house.
And if you keep reading verse 17 and 16, you're dealing with the sanctification of the field.
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And that's what he's dealing with in verse 19 as well. The setting apart of
the field, giving it to God above and beyond the tenth that was required by law.
And so these requirements were, again, these were in no way requirements to give above.
But if you vowed that you're going to do this, then this was how it would have to be accomplished.
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And if, and then bringing us to verse 19, he that sanctified the field will
in any wise redeem it, what is redemption?
It is to purchase back that which was formally given or that which was formally
taken or that which was formally bought to purchase it back.
And so what a beautiful thing in the law that we see right here in the promise of the vows.
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We see sanctification and redemption, both right here, dealing with fields and
houses, people that would set apart things for God and then redeem it back.
And so when the Bible tells us we're to be sanctified, we're set apart for God.
And then it identifies that we've been redeemed. We were bought back.
Bought from what? bought out from under the curse of sin, death,
hell, and the grave, and the law.
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He redeemed us. All of that pictured right here. Isn't that wonderful?
See what we'd miss when we stop reading in January or through the Bible in a
year and we get to Leviticus and we're going through the law and our head's
spinning? We miss these things.
This was a promise that was to be kept. So in verse 19, the redemption of the
field, to buy it back, what was formerly theirs, to buy back that land,
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to redeem it, that which was vowed to the priest,
they had to pay the fifth of the estimation of the value to assure it to them.
And so assurance was a guarantee. Guarantee.
It was a confident knowledge by promise that if I give this,
this is coming back to me. This is what I'm getting in return.
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Another word that we like to see is an assurance, and another Bible word that
is synonymous with assurance is the word earnest.
And some of you know where we would go with that in the book of Ephesians.
We find that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of
our inheritance the promised payment
that the inheritance is assured and
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so we see those things tied together what we
are of the truth because of
one reason and one reason only because we
believed god's word let's look at john
chapter 8 if you will please john chapter 8 now all
of that to help us to understand that we are
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assured and again that's our text first
john 319 hereby we know that we are of the
truth and shall assure our hearts before him john chapter 8 verse let's go back
to verse 43 verse 42 verse 42 jesus said unto them if god were your father.
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Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father
of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
And in the same gospel, in John 3, verse 18, those that believe not,
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the Bible says, are condemned already.
Keep that in mind for future reference.
Verse 46, which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth,
why do you not believe me?
He that is of God heareth God's, what?
Words. Ye therefore hear them not, because you're not of God.
See, the Pharisees had already decided that they were not going to believe Jesus.
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And even though Jesus is the living word, and Jesus is speaking the word of
God, they would not believe it. They would not hear him.
And so they could not hear God's word.
We are of the truth because we
have placed our faith in what
God's word says amen now
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there's all kinds of apologetics there's all kinds of debate there's all kinds
of grace and truth discussions that you can have but at the end of the day when
you lay your head on your pillow at night you have the truth and can be assured
in your heart because you simply just believe what what God said.
And that's the very beginning of salvation.
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Faith. Some people say, well, faith is a cop-out.
Faith is a crutch. Faith is not a crutch or a cop-out. Faith is the foundation.
Faith is the foundation upon which we understand who Jesus is, and we trust that.
Amen? We trust that. So we see a truth that assures.
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Number two, we get to the quote-unquote heart of the matter.
1 John 3 and verse 20, the heart of the matter.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
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Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God.
Two things under the heart of the matter that I want us to see.
Letter A, condemnation brings doubt.
So point number one, we have the truth that assures. Point number two,
you have quote-unquote the heart of the matter.
The heart of the matter.
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Letter A, under the heart of the matter, we recognize from our text that condemnation brings doubt.
What is condemnation? Let's go to Exodus for that.
This is one of those sermons that it's not exciting to deliver because it's
filled with a lot of facts,
but it's exciting to me because it's these truths that helped me at a young
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age, and I don't mean young like 14, 15, 16.
I mean before I became a pastor in my early 20s,
finally come to the place to where when I wrestled with doubt,
doubt, I could cast it aside and be settled on the knowledge of the Word of God.
Let me help you with something. And I say this in all love. Salvation is not based on an emotion.
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It's not based on an emotion. Some people don't cry. Do you know that? Some people don't cry.
When I got saved, I had been struggling for about two weeks.
I was eight years old. I'd been struggling for for about two weeks.
I was a couple months away from being nine.
And for about two weeks, I'd really been just, I've never placed my faith in Christ.
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Never trusted that death, burial, and resurrection. And I knew that.
I've grown up in church my whole life.
Listen, this is how, we were at church when the doors were open and we didn't
go to a church where the doors were only open on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Literally, there was something happening on that property property every day
of the week, and we were there every day of the week.
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Y'all don't even know. Amen.
I'm talking. I'd get out of school.
Mom would pick me up. We'd go to the church.
I can't tell you what we did there every day. Sometimes I felt like we just
went, so mom didn't have to take us home.
I don't know. I had no idea. Sometimes there was stuff happening.
Sometimes there wasn't, but we were at the church all the time.
My parents loved being at the church. They loved being a part of things.
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They volunteered for everything, even the stuff they didn't know know how to do.
They just showed up. And then, you know, my dad's philosophy was,
you know, I might not be a bright man, but I can work.
That was my dad's philosophy. You know, I can move something.
I can pick something up. My dad could, he'd hurt somebody. Amen.
And so when I was eight years old, by the time I got to that point in my life,
I had had multiple opportunities to hear the gospel clearly and plainly.
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When I was five years old, I remember on the way home from Awana's,
which is, some of you know what that is, some of you don't. That's kind of like
our Wednesday night master club.
Our Wednesday night master club is a little better, I think.
I think it has more doctrine and more things in there than Awana's,
but it's neither here nor there. Things have changed over the past 30 years.
And I recognized something at five years old. I needed Jesus.
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But I didn't understand the complexity of that. Not the complexity,
rather, the simplicity of it. But I also didn't understand why I needed.
I just knew I needed Jesus.
And I remember getting on the floorboard of my mom's car and I remember praying
a prayer and then getting and sitting back in the seat. Thought I was good to go.
Was fine until many years later, eight years old,
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had been through a few services where it seemed like
every message was about the gospel seemed
like every message was just about salvation and at
eight years old finally went to a christian baseball camp where we
had they did drills and exercises and and filled
it and batted and all those things during the day and then in the afternoon
this was in the springtime in the afternoon we had it at inca high school up
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in in candler north carolina had the the baseball program there and we did all
the drills and exercises in the afternoon you know to bring bring out the juice
boxes and the snacks and everybody's, you know, getting comfortable.
And then one of the men would, would bring the word of God.
And on that Friday, I remember in the band room of Inca high school,
I sat on one of those, one of those benches.
I don't even know if they still have those risers like that in band room.
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They still have those risers. We just sit on the riser. Y'all know anybody in band?
No, they don't have them, AJ. They don't have the risers. Okay.
Anyway, I was just a different school.
Y'all probably fancier than we were, but anyway, we remember sitting there on
the front riser. And I remember the, I remember the gospel being being presented.
And I remember just coming to the realization, if I died right now,
I'd go to hell. I don't know Christ.
And so I went forward, placed my faith and trust in Christ. And I know that
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that's the moment that I trusted God. Didn't cry.
Didn't have an emotional experience. Just went forward.
Now, here's what happened. One of the reasons, and I'm telling you this,
I'm giving you some of my testimony, right?
Because I want us to see some things. As I grew up and became came a Christian
and started going to certain camp meetings, revival meetings,
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tent meetings, you know what I'm talking about, it would be this amazing experience that's happening.
And I mean, people pouring out of the seats into the altar, just weeping and
wailing and getting saved.
And I would leave from that going, I didn't go through that.
Maybe I'm not saved.
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Shouldn't I have cried or something you know what I mean by some of you know what I'm talking about,
These are the verses, these are the truths that helped me to understand that
there are people that are on their way to hell today because they think they're
saved because of an emotional experience.
Well, you don't know what I felt. Doesn't matter what you felt.
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Amen? Salvation is not a feeling.
Salvation is a recognition and a placing of faith.
Now, does that mean if somebody was moved to tears and placed their faith that they're not?
No, no, no, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that my salvation is not
settled, amen, your salvation should not be settled on your emotional experience
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that you went through when you got saved if you went through one.
Your salvation is settled by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and Him alone.
That's what salvation is settled upon. And if your salvation is settled upon
anything other other than the gospel, then you're not saved. Amen.
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Your salvation is founded. Your birth is founded in the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and placing your faith in that.
And that can simply be, Lord, I trust what you said.
I trust who your only begotten son is.
I trust that without him, I'd be lost and undone and in my own sins and on my
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way to hell. But Lord, I'm trusting that you are truth.
And my faith is in that. God, have mercy upon me.
Right? Not those exact words, but that's the mentality.
Okay? Now, Exodus chapter 22 gave you plenty of time. That's a hard book to
find, so I want to make sure you had plenty of time to find it. Amen?
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Exodus chapter 22, verse 7.
We're dealing with condemnation. Because condemnation brings doubt.
Out and the Bible deals with in 1 John 3 that there are those whose hearts condemn
them, but they're not condemned by God.
It's interesting. Exodus 22, look at verse 7. If a man shall deliver unto his
neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house,
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if the thief be found, let him pay double.
If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto
the judges to see whether he have put his hands unto his his neighbor's goods.
For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep,
for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be
his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges,
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and whom the judges shall, what?
Condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbor.
Condemnation. The first time we see condemnation in Scripture,
it's identified with judging error, finding fault.
In error. In Deuteronomy chapter 25, here's some verses to write for sake of
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time, if you will, Deuteronomy 25 and verse 1.
If there be a controversy between men and they come unto judgment,
that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
So condemnation is identified with error.
Condemnation is identified with the opposite. Justification.
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Justification is a suitability to righteousness.
That's the definition. It's not not just as if I never sinned.
There's some things that are justified in life that have nothing to do with that.
Justification is to find a suitability in what is right to be justified.
Now, all of these things are helpful for us and they're wonderful truths for
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us to recognize and understand because you've been justified before God.
You've been found suitably righteous.
Now, that's hard to believe for some of us. Amen.
But that's how God views us. The moment that we've passed from death into life,
The moment that we have gotten saved, the moment that we placed our faith and
trust in Christ and Christ alone, we became, in the eyes of God,
suitably righteous, perfect and without error.
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Now, that's a whole other subject for a whole other opportunity.
To condemn is to find error in proving to be unrighteous.
And our text indicates that our hearts can condemn us, causing us to doubt.
That's why Romans 8 is so important. Look at Romans 8 now, if you will,
please. Romans chapter 8.
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Actually, let's start at Romans chapter 7, the last part. Verse 25.
The last verse of Romans chapter 7.
Romans chapter 7, verse 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God.
But with the flesh, the law of what? Sin. Again, we see the mind.
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I serve God with the mind. right here's here's my favorite one people say the
heart and the mind are disconnected as a man thinketh in his what where do we
think that's where we think.
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve
the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans chapter 7, by way of review, gives us an understanding of the spiritual
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warfare that we face every day with our flesh.
We have a spirit within us. It's the Spirit of God that He has given to us,
the earnest of our inheritance, and He's revived our spirit and enjoined our spirit with His spirit.
Colossians, our spirit's been cut away from the body of this flesh.
That's why Paul can say the things that I do it's not
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I but it's sin that dwelleth in me that's verse 17
of Romans chapter 7 why because there's
a battle your flesh is still existing and
your flesh still wants what it wants we should
really change that saying from the heart wants what the heart wants
to your flesh wants what the flesh wants we're
carnal in nature we're born that way and just because we're saved doesn't mean
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all of a sudden oh man i just love the things of god i hate wickedness oh somebody
comes to me and offers me drugs i don't even want that,
now some of you don't and that's true amen and i i'm with you on that amen somebody
come up to you oh come on try a little bit and we all joke about it and what's
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funny is teenagers laugh about it and they snicker at it,
but every teenager is going to be offered some type of temptation.
And if we view every temptation as a joke, you are weak, man.
Because we have to recognize temptation for what it is. But that doesn't happen
just because we get saved. Amen?
We have to grow in grace and grow in truth. And we have to learn of God.
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And we have to grow and strengthen the Spirit. Why?
Because there is evil present within me. This flesh.
Now all of that brings us to this point where he says, I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So with the mind, I myself serve the law of God,
and with the flesh, the law of sin.
Chapter 8 and verse 1, there is therefore now, how much condemnation?
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No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Do you know that in the eyes of God, it is impossible for you to walk after the flesh?
It is impossible for a Christian to walk after the flesh. Why?
Because you've already walked after the Spirit. You've been made a new creature.
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Behold, old things, all things are passed away. All things become what? New.
It is impossible for you to walk after the flesh in the eyes of God. Why?
Because you have been given the gift of His Son.
So when the Father sees you, He sees Jesus. Jesus, that's what Christ did for you at salvation.
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That's why Paul can write in Romans and we can stand in confidence.
Well, you don't know what I've done.
Let me go ahead and say it. I know I've said it before from this pulpit,
but I'm going to help you again. I don't care what you've done.
By the way, neither does God, because there's no condemnation.
Well, what does that mean? All the sins that we've committed after salvation,
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are we not given account for that? No.
It's all been taken care of. Well, what's the judgment seat of Christ? That's our work.
That's what we've done with this gift that he's given us and what we do with
it, whether whether we take and put it on a shelf and leave it there to collect
dust, or whether we use it for Him, for His glory.
But ultimately, that has to do with the work that He has given each and every
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individual that is saved to do.
It has nothing to do with your sin, because Jesus took care of that.
All of the sins are washed away, not just the ones prior to salvation. All of them.
That's why we recognize there is therefore now no condemnation.
And what is condemnation? condemnation is that
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error proving us to be unrighteous it
doesn't exist if you're saved
even when and this is my favorite part look look back at first john first john
chapter 3 verse 20 for if our heart what condemn us there's going to come times
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in your life when you will be self-condemning.
Oh, I've messed up. No way a Christian would act like that. No way a Christian
would treat another brother like that.
No way a Christian would lack faith like that. If our heart condemn us,
God is greater than our hearts.
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I love that.
In the moment of despair, in the moment of weakness, in the moment of self-doubt,
in the moment of self-condemnation, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things.
So, letter A, condemnation brings doubt.
Letter B, no condemnation brings confidence. Look at verse 21.
(32:14):
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we what?
Confidence. You see it? Verse 21, then have we what? Oh, man,
Man, y'all are killing me. Then have we what?
Confidence. Amen. You got to say that word confidently. You know what I mean?
My kids, you ask them to read a word they don't know. And one of the ones,
(32:38):
one of my kids, I'm not going to say who, they don't say the word onion. They say onion.
Jungian like with a g so i'm just like if
you can't say it right just just don't just just try your best to pronounce
it but you know so so then when they go to say it they slow down now because
i've gotten on to them because they lack confidence so some of some of you are
reading the word confident like you're not sure if you're pronouncing it properly
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amen confidence amen what do we have.
Confidence toward god now i want us to notice this confidence toward god is
found when we have have a heart that recognizes God is greater and we stand uncondemned.
If you understand and recognize that God is greater than your heart and that
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before him, even when you mess up, you're not condemned,
then you have a confidence that allows you to approach God with that confidence
as a child approaches a father who they know is loving.
1 John 2.28, this is the reminder of our confidence can be strengthened when we abide in him.
1 John 2.28, now little little children abide in him that when he shall appear,
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we may have confidence and not be ashamed at his before him at his coming.
This brings a confidence is further elaborated in chapter five.
Look at first John five, verse 14, very quickly. And we're going to get to the
latter to the final part to part number three. And we're doing great.
We're doing good. First John five and verse 14.
First John five and verse 14. I'm pre-warning you. I'm going to have you help me.
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And this is the what?
Confidence. That's good. That we have in him. What's the confidence?
That if we ask anything according to his will, he will, he heareth us.
I really don't know how to express the overwhelming joy that that brings to
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my heart. to have a scriptural truth.
The father hears me to have a
biblical understanding that he
hears us verse 15 the same passage look at
it and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we
ask we know that we have the petitions
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that we desired of him
and that leads us to this final portion
number three confidence in receiving receiving confidence
in receiving first john chapter 3 verse 22 very
quickly please and whatsoever we ask
we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that
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are pleasing in his sight our confidence is contingent upon these two things
keeping his commandments and doing those things that are pleasing in his sight
what are his commandments 1 John 3, 23,
and this is His commandment.
Aren't you grateful that He doesn't just say, keep my commandments,
and then you've got to try to figure out what they are?
(35:36):
He tells you, see, they're with me. Amen? He tells you exactly what they are. Look at verse 23.
This is His commandment, that we should what?
Believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and what? Faith and love.
That's His commandment. Faith in the one that he sent to die for us,
(35:57):
his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment.
Seems elementary, but it's foundational to being able to ask him anything.
Faith and love. We keep his commandments, and then we've got to live a life
that's pleasing in his sight.
Colossians 1, if you will, write this down and go back and study it at your
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leisure. Colossians 1, 9-12, we see many instances in Scripture that can be
quickly noted as areas where we're told that we can live a life that's pleasing to God.
Colossians 3, 9, we see the prayer of Paul for the church at Colossae.
And he identifies several areas that Paul prayed that they would abound unto the pleasing of God.
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And here are a few of those areas. Wisdom.
It pleases God when we seek His wisdom. That's pleasing to God.
What else? Spiritual understanding.
Spiritual understanding. You know, it's one thing to read your Bible to check a list.
It's another thing to read the Bible and to ask God to show you exactly what
your heart needs to live a life that's pleasing to Him. And you can do both at the same time.
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God, I'm going to be reading. You know I'm trying to read through the Bible in a year.
You know I'm trying to read through the New Testament in a year.
You know I'm just trying to read through this gospel in the next two months.
I'm trying to get through these four chapters in the next year and a half.
That's what I'm trying to do, Lord. You know my heart. I want to read. I'm not a reader.
It's difficult for me. But Lord, if you will help me to understand the truth
of your word that I need to live a life that's pleasing to you.
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Do you know what that's called? Spiritual understanding.
Do you know what he says? He'll give it to you.
Give it to you. Wisdom, spiritual understanding, to be fruitful in every good
work. God wants us to be focused on the good work that we have been given.
How about growing in the knowledge of God? God, I want to know more about you.
I want to know more about your character. I want to know about your holiness.
I want to know why is it so important to you that the temple be built this way?
(37:53):
God, why is it so important to you that we understand that the fruit be harvested this way?
Why is it so important to you this year of Jubilee that is given where everybody's
inheritance is given back to them and the slaves are freed and all of those things.
Lord, is it so that we recognize that the earth is yours and every person is yours?
What is it? Growing in the knowledge of God. God, what is it about?
(38:15):
I want to know more about you. Patience.
Colossians chapter 1 verses 9 through 12. We also see patience.
Patience is pleasing to God. What are we doing right now? We're patiently waiting for his return.
Amen. We're patiently waiting for his return. Not fed fed up with it?
Would I have loved for him to come back last year? Absolutely.
Could he come back this year? Absolutely.
(38:37):
Am I going to keep serving him if he waits another hundred years?
Absolutely. Lord willing, that's the goal. That's my heart's desire. I'm patiently waiting.
Listen, there's nothing better I can do with my life other than patiently wait
for him and work while I'm waiting.
Patience is pleasing to God. These last two in Colossians chapter one,
Long-suffering with joyfulness.
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Well, that's a difficult one. To suffer long is one thing, but to suffer long
and to be joyful about your suffering?
Paul really gives us the answer when he says, I reckon that the sufferings of
this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed unto him.
That's how you can suffer long with joy. Long-suffering with joyfulness.
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You ever seen somebody who just trusts, Their faith just seems to be so built
up, or their love of God seems,
and they go through the harshest, most miserable thing, and yet they just can't
help but be happy, joyful in spirit.
Do you know what that is? That's someone who understands what long-suffering
with joyfulness is. And then the final one, being thankful.
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Being thankful. Colossians 1, 9-12. Look at that prayer for Paul that's tied to the pleasing.
Being pleasing to God. Walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.
Amazing wisdom, spiritual understanding, fruitful in every good work,
the knowledge of God, patience, long-suffering with joyfulness,
and then having a heart of thankfulness.
Oh, by the way, Colossians 3 and verse 20, children, obey your parents in all
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things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.
Young people you want to live a life that's pleasing obey your
parents oh it's easy so you don't know my mom
and dad i don't know your mom and dad god gave them
to you and god gave you to them oh
they're oppressive they don't even love the lord god knew that amen that's clearly
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in scripture children obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing
unto the lord Lord. Do you struggle with your salvation?
Do you keep his commandments living in the truth of scripture that the faith
has only begotten son as Jesus of Nazareth, his death, burial,
and resurrection? Do you love other believers?
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Friend, you can take peace in knowing that God is greater than your heart.
And we're going to end with this verse, 1 John 3, verse 24.
I told you we're going to finish this chapter tonight. Verse 24,
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth abideth in him and he in him.
And hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit, capital S, which he hath given us.
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Where is our assurance found? It's not an emotion. It's not in a feeling.
It's in the promise of the gift of the Spirit of God that he gave you at the moment of salvation.
Salvation and even when you don't feel saved that spirit has never left you
god's promise is eternal have confidence in him dwell in him make him the focus of your life,
(41:42):
you'll have a peace that no one can understand so let's stand and dismiss in a word of prayer.
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