Do You Know That You Know?

When it comes to knowing where you stand with God, can you ever really be sure?

The Bible clearly answers this question.  In fact, it clearly states that it is a main reason the Scripture was written.  John 20:31 states, “…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” 

God doesn’t want you having to guess…or wish…or hope.  He wants you to know, for certain.

So, just to make sure, here are four key elements to being sure that you are sure of where you stand.

GOD’S DESIGN

ENJOY LIFE, DON’T MERELY ENDURE IT

God loves YOU!!

He wants YOU to enjoy all the peace and joy of an abundant and eternal life.

Jesus says…

“ I have come that they might have LIFE and that they might have it MORE ABUNDANTLY.”  John 10:10

And God wants YOU to know Him personally.

“And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you (Jesus), the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”  John 17:3

Why then have most people missed this reality?

YOUR DELIMMA…

SEPARATION FROM GOD!

Sin separates us from the love of God.

“…All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23

Sin is basically independence from God. Sin (singular) is a condition of our heart.  You can also call it “running life your way.”  This condition is what separates us from God.

Our sinful heart is revealed by our sins (plural) which show up in our actions, inactions and attitudes.  You can see examples of these in sin manifesting itself through…

Things we say (Matthew 12:36, 37)

Things we do (1 John 3:4)

Things we think (Matthew 9:4)

                     Things we should do and don’t (James 4:17)

Jesus clearly said that the heart of our problem is the problem with our heart…

“….the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person…” (Matthew 15:18-20)

GOD’S DELIVERANCE

THE CROSS AND CHRIST’S DEATH ON OUR BEHALF

The ONLY answer to our sin problem is the LORD Jesus Christ!

Jesus died on a cross to pay a debt He did not owe, and to pay a price we could not pay!

His death and resurrection from the dead bridged the gulf separating you from a loving God!

The Bible says…

“…but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

Jesus is not merely ONE way to God…

He is not merely the BEST way to God…

God has made him the ONLY way!!!

“…and there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we MUST be saved.  Acts 4:12

YOUR  DECISION

RECEIVE…OR REJECT…JESUS CHRIST

By personally inviting…and receiving Christ to be your LORD and Savior, you can trust Jesus to change your life and experience the love of God!

God didn’t make us robots,

But gave us a free will to choose.

You can choose to be saved by…

ADMITTING YOUR NEED—

I am a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness

And honestly repenting (turning from your sins)—

This is a willful change of direction in your life…

STOP running your own life—

And start living God’s way.

The Bible says…  “Repent therefore and turn, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD.”  Acts 3:19

SO WHY NOT MAKE THAT DECISION NOW?!

The Bible says there are two things you need to actively do…

  • Believe in your heart that Christ died to pay for YOUR sin and that God raised him from the dead
  • Openly confess before others that you have made the decision and are unapologetic about it

So now the question is…DOES THIS MAKE SENSE TO YOU?

IS THERE ANY GOOD REASON YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO BE SURE OF THAT DECSION?

If it makes sense…and if you want to know that you are sure of your decision…why don’t you pray right now inviting Jesus Christ into your heart and life as Savior (to forgive the sin in your past) and as LORD (to direct the steps of your future).

Why don’t you pray something like this…

          Lord Jesus, I need you.  I realize I am a sinner,

                And done thing my way rather than Your way.

        I am sorry for my sins and ask you to forgive me.

        Thank You for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin.

I believe you rose from the dead so that I could have eternal life.

        Thank you for loving me the way the way I am,

                But loving me too much to let stay there.

        I ask you to be my Savior and forgive my past…

        And I invite you to be my LORD to direct my future.

        I surrender my heart and life to You today!

        Now help me to become the person you created me to be.

                                                                    Amen

If you prayed that prayer today, we would love to know!  Please shoot an email to Bob@bobreccord.com and tell us the great news!!

So, how does that make you sure?

Jesus promised, “I tell you the truth, he who believes (puts his/her total trust in Me) has everlasting life.”  John 6:47

NOTICE:  He didn’t say the person “might have” or “could have” but that the person HAS eternal life—it is an ACCOMPLISHED FACT!

SO, NOW WHAT?

I WANT TO RECOMMEND 5 STEPS TO YOU…

STEP 1…READ THE BIBLE DAILY

God will use His written word to be like a light that guides your steps and illuminates your decisions.  It will teach you more about…

          Who He is…

          What He wants for you…

          What He wants to teach you…

          What he wants to change in you

STEP 2…PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING

God wants you to talk with him…just like you would talk to a best friend.  A good way to think of prayer is to try to include 4 parts in your prayers…

ADORATIONacknowledging God and His amazing character

CONFESSIONadmit where you have run your own life and lived your way, rather than God’s

THANKSGIVINGtell God all the things for which you are thankful

SPECIFIC REQUESTStell God your needs and desires

This will help your prayers have balance and health and not allow them to turn into nothing but a string of requests. 

Remember, prayer brings our will into line with God’s will, rather than bringing God in line with ours.

STEP 3…FIND A CHURCH AND BECOME A PART OF IT

Be sure the church believes that the Bible is God’s Owner’s Manual for our life which help us how to live at maximum effectiveness, and how to avoid major problems.

STEP 4…SPEND TIME WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE MADE THE SAME DECISION YOU HAVE

God means for us to grow in our faith with others.  He doesn’t intend for us to do it alone.  Others encourage us, support us, and help us become all God intended us to become—and we can help them do the same.

STEP 5…DON’T BE HESITANT TO SHARE WITH OTHERS WHAT YOU HAVE DONE

IF YOU ARE A NEW FOLLOWER OF CHRIST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS NEW BELIEVER’S TOOL KIT FOR RESOURCES TO HELP YOU IN YOUR JOURNEY