Testing Our Faith: Assurance in Christ's Salvation

"Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night wrestling with the question am I really saved when our failures and our sins feel particularly heavy on our hearts I'm talking about the harsh words that you've spoken to your sweet spouse the compromise that you made at work the prayer life that feels increasingly hollow that's when doubt can begin to creep into our hearts and if you've ever had that thought am I really saved saints know this you're in good company this isn't just some modern crisis it's a deeply Christian question that is echoed through millennia of faith and it's a deeply Christian question that is echoed through millennia of faith and it's a deeply Christian question that is echoed through millennia of faith and it's a deeply church history." [00:32:16]

"This sermon series is not meant to torture you. It's actually a pathway to peace. This examination isn't meant to trap us in an endless cycle of introspection, but to lead us toward clarity and confidence in Christ. Here's where you and I often need correction, and I've sensed this in my own pastoral counseling while I've been pastor here at Mount Carmel." [00:35:49]

"Christians often look for assurance of their salvation in the wrong places. Listen to me. Christians often look for assurance in the wrong places. They search their emotions, their spiritual performance, or the worst thing you can do is compare yourself with others. And what Paul is going to do, and then Owen will direct us as well, is look primarily to the Lord Jesus Christ." [00:36:39]

"Our security is not found in the strength of our faith. Our security is not found in the strength of our faith, but in the object of our faith, and who is actually doing the saving. And so I want to answer the question over the next four weeks. So I need you to hold in. Come be here every Sunday. This is not some trick for attendance. I'm saying this will do your soul good to hear John Owens' four evidences based on this text." [00:36:54]

"Are you struck by the genius of God in the plan of salvation? This is going to be good. Are you struck by the genius of God in the plan of salvation? Imagine with me. You are standing before a perfect mirror. A perfect mirror. You see all of your physical mess and even your spiritual mess. One that shows you not just your physical appearance, but every thought, every motivation, every desire that you've ever had." [00:39:03]

"How long could you stand to look at yourself? Each moment of irritation, subtle pride, and quick judgment reveals a heart that naturally curves itself inward and not upward toward God's glory. Listen to what the prophet Isaiah says about the human condition. Isaiah 59 2 says, but your iniquities, your sins are separating you from your God. And notice the result." [00:40:17]

"At the cross, justice and mercy don't just meet. They embrace. They kiss at the cross. Now here's why that... That matters. Okay? You may have never thought about this. Look in your notes to 2 Corinthians 4 .6. This is one of the chief texts that John Owen turns to to explain what I just described to you. Look at what Paul says. You've got to look at it. It's your test, not mine." [00:47:45]

"How personal is God's love to you? Many of us would say that we believe God loves us. We've sung about it since childhood. We've read about it in the scriptures. We might even have John 3 .16 memorized. For God so loved the world. I mean you ask almost even an unbelieving man, right? Unbelieving man. Does God's God love the world? What would he say? Sure. God loves the world. He made it. He asked it." [00:58:07]

"Something revolutionary happened when we truly glimpsed how God made justice and mercy meet in Jesus. Think about discovering. And I've had this happen in my life. I hope this resonates with you. Have you ever found out through the grape vine how someone went to extraordinary lengths to help you and they never took credit for it? You just found out like They paid for that meal, right?" [01:00:00]

"If God's light has really shone in our hearts, and we sense that God has left His throne to bleed and die on Calvary for me, saints, your hearts but can't help but naturally warm to the love of God. In fact, look at what it says in Micah. Micah 7 .18. This is not a theological treaty. This is a statement of amazement. Look at what he says. Who is a God like you?" [01:01:02]

"Have you let go of your spiritual backup plans? We keep some safety nets tucked away in case this whole Jesus thing doesn't work out. All right? Maybe it's a moral record. You go, well, I'm a good person. That's honestly how I can tell Christians from non -Christians real quick. You ask a real Christian, are you a good person? They'll go, no. They'll tell you." [01:10:04]

"True spiritual rest doesn't come from having these multiple backup plans. It comes when you abandon them altogether. The gospel is a knot. Please, saints. And this is where we've messed up. I feel like we've insinuated this in our preaching over the past 50 years. We're not asking you to add Jesus to your spiritual safety net. We want you to cut every other net down." [01:12:40]