Assurance

Our subject for this meeting is assurance. We have said considerable upon this subject, but I think a good deal more is needed to be said in order that the children of God may know that they are saved through Jesus Christ. There are some people that will not know that they are saved because they are not. I think there are some who want the assurance that they are saved that have not been born of the spirit. A person may unite with some church, go through all the forms, be a formalist — and know nothing about the grace of God — be a stranger to the new birth. If a person has not been regenerated by the power of the Holy Ghost he will not have assurance and should not have.

Then there is another class — people who are living in some sin, not living by the light that God has given them, of course they will not have assurance.

The next class is professed Christians that are not willing to do anything for Christ. I don’t believe that they will have assurance. When we are ready and willmg to do what He says I think there will be no trouble about our assurance.

Now, Paul says in the first chapter of Colossians, twelfth verse, “Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

Now, in those twelfth and thirteenth verses it says u hath “three times; “hath made,” “hath delivered,” “hath translated.” Not that He is going to do it, but that He hath done it. It is a very nice study to take up that little word “hath” all through Christ’s teachings. It don’t mean something that we are going to have at the end of life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Wherever you can find a truth repeated three times you may know it is a very important truth, and He wants us to understand it.

It is to me one of the most comforting things in the Scriptures that I have got eternal life; that when I was born — - born out of God — that is the true rendering of that — that I got eternal life, and that means life without end. If it was only life for six months, or six years, it would not be everlasting life, would it? It would not be eternal life. And if I did not get eternal life at the new birth, if I did not get eternal life when I accepted of Jesus Christ, what did I get?

We need not be left in darkness about our having this eternal life, because if we look into the Bible we can find over and over again where he gives us tests that we can put to ourselves. For instance, if I love the brethren, that is a sign that I have got Christ’s spirit. If I love my enemies, that is a better sign. Now, it takes the grace of God — it takes the love of God — nothing but the love of God will enable me to do that. To love a man that slanders me; to love a man that would tear down my character; to love a man that would ruin and blast my life, takes some thing besides human love. You cannot do that of yourself. It is not in the power of man. You go out and preach to the world — tell men to love their enemies; they will say, “I ought to, but I hate them. I just hate them.” If a man had come to me and told me before I was born of God to love my enemies, and pray for them that persecute me, he might as well have gone and talked to the wind. It was not in my power to do it. But when I was born of God I got a new principle planted in me — the power to love my enemies; and the first impulse of the young convert is to love. I remember when I was converted I loved every person on the face of the earth. All bitterness had been taken out. To love a man that loves me, or a man that is lovely, takes no grace at all. The natural man does that But to love those that do not care for you takes the love of God. Have you got that love? Let us put that test to ourselves. If we have, that is a sign that the Holy Ghost has shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, and we have the Spirit of Calvary. Because the very moment Jesus Christ was being put to death on the cross, that very hour when they were mocking and deriding Him, He was praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” If we have Christ’s spirit, it seems to me we don’t want any more evidence. We are told over here in Peter’s Second Epistle, first chapter and fourth verse, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” When I was born of my parents I got the first Adam nature. When I was born of God I got the second Adam

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nature, which is different You ask me why God loves. I don’t know. You ask me why the sun shines. I don’t know. I suppose God loves on the same principle — He can’t help it. He is love. If I am partaker of the same nature I will have that love. “And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now, how can we add to all these graces if we have none to add? If we don’t know that we have a foundation to build on, how are we to add to it? It is impossible. We must first know that we have a foundation. We must first know that we have passed from death unto life. That we have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.

There are two kingdoms, and we belong to the one 01 the other. We are either saved or w*» are not saved. God didn’t come down and forgive me and leave me to perish. Christ died for me and He will not bring anything against me, and God justified me and He certainly will not bring anything against me. “Who shall lay anything to God’s elect?” Satan may bring on his charges, let him bring up my whole life. If God has forgiven me what do I care?

There was a man in England at one time that was tried for his life. He had committed the crime of murder and he was convicted. One thing that amazed the court and the spectators was the coolness of the prisoner. He seemed to be quite unconcerned. When the jury brought m a verdict of guilty it didn’t seem to stir him at all. He was the most unconcerned man in the court room.

When the judge came to read him his sentence that he was to be hanged, the man put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a pardon, laid it down on the judge’s bench and went out of the court a free man. Sin has condemned us to death, but Christ is here with a pardon. I am not going to be condemned because God has justified me. The whole thing is blotted out. God says, “there is nothing in His ledger against us.” God justifies the believer, therefore we have nothing to fear. “Ah,” but you say, “I have sinned since I became a believer; that is what is troubling me.” Now God has made provision for the believer’s sin. If he had not I think the whole of us would be lost. Who has not sinned since he has believed? But I tell you what the Lord wants us to do: He wants us to confess our sins. Now, John says that if we confess our sins, and that is written to believers, “He is just and faithful to forgive our sins.” I think the “Believer’s sins “would be a good text for a sermon. There are a great many believers that have got discouraged about sin. Now, the difference between a Christian and one that is not a Christian, is that the Christian confesses his sins, and the other does not. The true believer will go right to the Lard Jesus Christ and confess his sins. There was a time that I could sin and it didn’t hurt me. If I did the same things I once did it would break my heart. I could not do it. What we want is to go to the Master and tell it all to Him.” He is just and faithful to forgive.” When your children do wrong and show true signs of contrition how glad you are to forgive them. You delight to forgive them. They say “Short accounts make long friends.” What we want is to keep short accounts with God. Just square up the account every night before you go to bed. If you have done wrong confess it and ask God to forgive you and He will put it away. He de« lights in forgiveness. When we do wrong we want to take our sins right away to Him, confess them and believe that He has put them away. It is very dishonoring for us to go lugging up our sins to the cross that have been put away. I think I can make that plain. Suppose I go to Chicago next week and my little boy tomes to me and he says, “Do you know when you were down in Cleveland I done some thing you told me never to do? I told a lie.” I am very sorry to hear it “I am very sorry myself but I want you to forgive me.” I saw the poor boy’s heart was broken. It was true contrition* I take him to my bosom and tell him, “Yes, I will forgive you.” The next day he comes to me and he says, “I wish you would forgive that lie.” M I have forgiven you, but to gratify you will forgive you again.” And the third day he comes and brings it up again. And the fourth day brings it up again, and week in and week out does the same thing. Don’t you think we are grieving God if he has forgiven us, by continually bringing up the same sins and asking Him to forgive them? If God has blotted out my sins that is enoughu Satan may bring up the record, but the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

Now, assurance is taking God without any “if ’s.” There is a story in the life of the Emperor Napoleon that has been published a good many times, and that illustrates the point as well as anything I know of. Napoleon was out one day viewing his army, accompanied by his body guard, when his horse became frightened and ran away at great speed. A private soldier, seeing the peril of his commander, stepped out of the ranks and, at the risk of his own life, grabbed, the horse by the bit of the bridle and thereby saved the Emperor’s life. “Thank you, Captain” said the Emperor, and the soldier instead of taking his usual place in the ranks took his place as captain at the head of the Emperor’s body guard. The commander of the guard not knowing of the occurrence disputed his right to the position when told that he was a captain, and asked him who said it His reply was, “The Emperor.” That settled it. So when the devil comes and says you are not a Christian, tell him who says it, the Lord Jesus said it. * He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” All the devils in hell can’t make me believe that I don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I do believe, u Well,” but you say, “You don’t love Him enough.” No, I don’t, I wish I loved Him a thousand times more. But I believe Him and I want to love Him more and more, and better and better. There is one thing I am sure of and that is, He is mine and I am His, and when you just get there my friends, then you can go right out and go to work. Really there is no comfort; there is no peace; there is no joy without assurance. Oh, may God give us this assurance I