assurance

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

August 5, 2020 by Poimen

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

After reading Psalm 139 with a brother this morning and pondering its truths I once again am amazed at the kindness of our God. The psalmist makes five bold claims about the Lord’s relationship with His people and its compelling call to seek Him. You can read the entire chapter on your own.

The Lord knows me…

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!… Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

The Lord really KNOWS me. He knows my ups and my downs, my deep thoughts, my course of life and where I find my rest. He knows not only my works, He knows my ways. He knows altogether even before a word is on my tongue (I wish sometimes He would stop me from saying it before I got myself into trouble). He keeps me close beside Him and with a gentle hand on my shoulder, He not only directs my steps, He assures me of His presence. The Lord really knows me.

The Lord surrounds me…

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?… If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

There is not a single place in all of creation where I can escape the Lord’s presence. This is a dreadful thought for the wicked, but not for the righteous. The righteous are assured that the Lord is ever there to lead by the hand through the course of life and to provide security in His right hand. When entering into the unknown and when living in uncertain times, I am assured that these dark times are not dark at all to the God of light.

The Lord formed me…

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

The Lord is the giver of life and is its architect. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Moreover, He has established and knows my days. Before the substance of my being came into existence the days of my life were already established. In His providence He set into motion all the affairs of my life. Nothing that I face catches the Lord by surprise.

The Lord considers me…

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

The sovereign God of creation who sustains all things, takes thought of me. But not just a passing thought. His thoughts toward me are so vast, it is beyond measure, more than the sand. They are loving thoughts for my good, and I can be assured that He works for His glory and for my benefit.

The Lord searches me…

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.… I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

The preoccupation with the world system blinds the me from the goodness of God. It robs me of the confidence and security that comes from being God’s own possession.

In contrast, a steadfast gaze upon the Lord sets the world in true perspective. It gives to me a healthy hatred toward the things that oppose God and brings about a yearning for a release from its clutches. Meditating upon the things of God evokes the longing to rid myself from any and all that detracts from the view of God and that is grievous in His sight.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

—Soli Deo Gloria! (To God Alone Be Glory!)

God’s Promises are Yes in Christ

July 15, 2020 by Poimen

Thinking Out Loud

In the providence of God’s mercy, He subjected Himself to the welfare of the rebels who turned from and rejected Him. He did so of His own volition apart from any act on the part of mankind. By His mercy, He entered into a divine covenant with man, all conditions being met by the son of man, God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This covenant comprehensively recreates man’s existence and gives him life. It includes forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, adoption, new birth, new heart, new spirit, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, love for God, love and acceptance by God. Salvation is comprehensive and changes the whole of man.

At the heart of God’s redemption is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the new covenant we’ve been brought into. There is nothing that can be realized in man’s redemption apart from Jesus Christ. Any gospel that conveys life apart from Christ is not the true gospel. It is not the gospel (good news) at all.

Because of this, the assurance and the security of the believer rests in Jesus… period. All the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ] (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian does not find his assurance and his security for salvation based on his feelings, nor from his behavior (good or bad). Assurance and security for eternal life does not come from being able to remember a time you “said a prayer,” “walked an aisle,” or “entered into a baptismal tank.”

The believer’s hope rests in the promises of God that find their Yes in [Christ]. His indwelling Spirit then establishes us… in Christ, anoints us, and… puts his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Corinthians 1:21).

Thanks be to God for the unchanging promises of His covenant in midst of uncertain times.

Soli Deo Gloria!

February Suggested Book of the Month

January 29, 2020 by Poimen

The following book review was provided by Angie Stanley. You can find more of Angie’s reviews and writings at In the Meantime.

Assured, by Greg Gilbert

Struggling with doubts about one’s salvation is quite commonplace among believers. Indeed, if we are honest, I think many of us would agree that we have asked ourselves the question: “Am I truly saved?”

As a teenager, I had several conversations with my mom about my assurance of salvation. While I don’t remember all the details of those often-late-night conversations, I do remember my mom pointing me back to Scripture and reminding me of what God says. Even now as an adult, there are still occasional moments of doubt.

Assured: Discover Grace, Let Go of Guilt, and Rest in Your Salvation by Greg Gilbert is a helpful little discussion about how to deal with these moments of doubt. Its goal is to drive us back to Scripture and remind us of what our salvation truly rests on.

Four Sources of Assurance

The majority of the book centers around a discussion of four sources for our assurance: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s promises, the Holy Spirit, and the fruits of obedience in our lives. It is important to note that these sources of assurance fit into different categories concerning how they function. Concerning the gospel and God’s promises, Gilbert categorizes them as driving sources of assurance, the Holy Spirit is a supernatural source of assurance, and the fruits of obedience are a confirming source of assurance. I found this categorization to be a very helpful evaluation.

The chapter covering the gospel of Christ and how that guarantees our assurance of salvation is perhaps the most powerful chapter of the book. Gilbert discusses passages of Scripture such as Hebrews 10:19-22 and Romans 5:1-2, 6-8 to address what exactly Christ’s death on the cross accomplished for us.
In the same chapter, Gilbert also addresses the question of faith–what if our faith isn’t strong enough or the right kind of faith? This particular question is the very question that has nagged at my heart over the years. I found Gilbert’s practical response to these questions to be helpful in reminding me that my salvation does not depend on what I have done but on what Christ has done!

If you don’t read anything else in the book, read at least the first two chapters!

Considerations to keep in mind

After covering these difference sources for our assurance in the first part of the book, the last three chapters discuss some specific considerations to keep in mind: mistakes we make in evaluating our good works, a besetting sin that continues to plague us, and some of the “trees” of the forest that we tend to focus on when we should instead be focusing on the magnificent view of the “forest” of God’s promises and the gospel.

Who might benefit from this book?I believe several different groups of people will find Assured to be helpful:

Maybe you’re constantly wondering if you are indeed a Christian. Assured will help you evaluate why you might be having these nagging doubts.
Perhaps you’re confident and resting in your salvation. Assured will renew your awe and wonder at the extent of what Christ has done to guarantee your salvation until the day you are face to face with Christ Himself!
Perhaps you’re in a ministry where you teach, mentor, or even counsel other believers. I believe Assured could prove to be a helpful resource to have on hand as you serve other believers.

Assured is a powerful little book that will lift your eyes to the Savior and cause you to rejoice in the marvelous gift of salvation that He has given us!