Lesson 11

How To Know For Sure

2 Peter 1:10-11

There is an old Negro spiritual which says, "Everybody talkin' 'bout heaven ain't goin' be there." It's true. Jesus said so. Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. In the parable of the tares (Matthew 13) Christ taught that there are some who are associated with Christianity, who even resemble Christians who are not wheat sown by the Lord, but weeds sown by the devil.

It is possible to attend a Bible preaching church, to walk down the aisle during an invitation, to take the pastor's hand, to say all the right words, to be baptized, to have your name on the church membership role and still never have truly been born again. It is just as possible to go to hell from a church pew as from a bar stool. "Everybody talkin' 'bout heaven ain't goin' be there."

And so, that is why Peter says, (II Peter 1:10-11) "give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." To boil these two verses down to their essence, Peter is urging his readers to make sure that they are indeed saved.

Last week, we established from God's Word that Salvation is eternal and secure and that absolute assurance is possible. It isn't being proud or boastful or arrogant for a person to claim that they know for sure that when they die, heaven will be their eternal destiny. This passage tells us to make sure and I John 5:13 says that you can know that you have eternal life.

But how? How can you know for sure? It is that question which we must address today. Peter promises us that if we will be diligent to make sure about our personal salvation, two things will happen. First, we will never fall. What does that mean? I think that the answer is connected with 3:17. Peter is promising that we will not fall from our steadfastness. He is not referring to falling from grace, to losing our salvation, but to losing our steadfastness along the way. You will never fall. Second, you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of God by making sure that you are saved.

Thus, we see that it is important that we make sure. But how? Peter doesn't answer that question, but by looking elsewhere in God's Word, we can clearly see how to be sure.

Examine Yourself, II Corinthians 13:5. According to Paul, making sure is a matter of careful self-examination. That's what he says in II Corinthians 13:5. The emphasis on this verse is on the word "yourself." Please note: I cannot examine you. I cannot know for sure about you. Only you can examine yourself. Only you can know fully about you. I cannot judge the genuineness of your salvation. I am a fruit inspector. Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them." I can see either the presence or the absence of spiritual fruit and have an opinion about your salvation, but you can fool me. The point is that you must carefully and diligently examine yourself to make sure about your salvation.

Most of us, naturally, get a little nervous when it comes to an examination. Whether it is a medical examination where a doctor starts toward you with a thermometer or an academic examination where someone expects you to have learned from information, we all get nervous about being examined.

Well, today I want to give you a test. This test has four questions on it. By correctly answering these four questions, you can know that you have eternal life.

Actually, this is not my test. This is the test that Jesus gave to young man and we can read about it in Matthew 19:16-22. While He was walking down the road one day a man ran up to Jesus and asked Him how to have eternal life. How Jesus responded to this eager inquirer may shock you!

Who is this man? What do we know about him? Although we do not know his name, but we are told some important facts about him. We know that he was young (20). We know that he was rich (22). We know from Luke’s account that he was a ruler (probably of the synagogue).

He Was A Quality Man. He had manners, vs. 16. I suspect that when this young man was a child, he irked other children in the neighborhood as their mothers said to them, "Why can’t you be like that nice boy?" He had morals, vs. 20. Jesus did not dispute his morality. He had money, vs. 22.

He Was A Questioning Man. His approach was honest and humble. Mark tells us that he came running to Jesus and that he knelt down before the Lord. He did not come to argue with the Lord or to oppose the Lord but to question Him. He even came publicly! Something prompted him to know that he had a need and to believe that something was missing from his life. His money did not satisfy him; his morality did not meet his need; his kindness was not enough. He certainly appears to be honest in his desire and humble in his approach. His asking was very inquisitive. He asked the right question: "Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" He came to the right person - Jesus is the source of eternal life! Who better to go to, to learn about salvation than the Savior? Who better to ask about eternal life than the source of eternal life?

This man seems to have so much in his favor! What a hot prospect for salvation! What potential he has for the cause of Christ! We had better not lose this one! We had better draw the net and land this fish! We had better get a decision out of him, get him to walk down the aisle, sign the card, join the church! He would make a great church member! Most Baptist Churches that I know would accept him in a hurry and make him the treasurer of the church at next year’s election of officers!

I wonder if Jesus would have passed the average Evangelism Class. He doesn’t even mention faith to this man! What Jesus says is shocking! If some asked you what he should do to have eternal life would you say, "Keep the commandments" ?! Would you tell him to go and sell all of his possessions and give them to the poor?! Would you ask him why he called Jesus a "good master (teacher)"?! Why did Jesus say those things?! This is the most unusual method of soul-winning that I have ever seen! What was Jesus doing?

Jesus was giving this man a test. The test had four questions. It doesn’t matter what else you get right, if you miss any one of these questions you will fail the test. One missed question and you miss eternal life!

Let’s look at the 4 questions on this test.

Do You Understand Who Jesus Is?

Notice how Jesus asked this question. The young inquirer called him "Good Master" to which Jesus responded, "Why are you calling me good; only God is good!" Don’t be confused by this statement. Jesus is not disclaiming to be good, He is claiming to be God! He is asking, "Are you saying that I am God?" (vs. 16-17).

In order to receive eternal life, you must know who Jesus Christ is. If you are wrong about who He is, it doesn’t matter what else you are right about. Do you know who Jesus is? If Jesus is nothing more than a good teacher, then His death on a cross means nothing. But Jesus is not mere humanity. He is deity! He is God in human flesh He is Lord!

Did the young man confess Jesus as Lord? Look at

Mark 10:20 where young man speaks to the Lord the

second time and you will notice that he calls him Master and omits the Good.

Do You Acknowledge That You Are A Sinner?

The Lord Jesus then instructs this young man to "keep the commandments" (17). Why does Jesus bring up the commandments? Because in order for a man to receive eternal life, he must realize that he is a sinner. Before grace comes the law. * Rom. 3:20 "By the law is the knowledge of sin." Before a man will ever be saved he must first realize that he is a sinner. That’s why Jesus

brings up the commandments.

Notice, in verse 18, that the young ruler asks which commandments he is supposed to keep. He apparently does not understand that "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).

Notice, also in verse 18, which commandments Jesus brings up. Murder, adultery, stealing, lying, honoring your parents, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Those commandments have something in common. They all speak of horizontal relationships with other people and not a vertical relationship with God. I am not sure why Jesus chose those particular commandments to keep other than perhaps they are more easily measured.

Does this young man acknowledge his sinfulness? (Vs. 20). The answer to that is, "No!" He claims that he has never murdered, never committed adultery, never stolen, never lied, always honored his parents and always loved his neighbor as he loves himself. He does not admit that he is a sinner. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, he should have said "I can’t." Before a person can be saved that need to understand that they are a sinner (Rom. 3:10, 23) born with a sinful, fallen nature. As long as a person clings to their self-righteousness, as long a they compare themselves to other people instead of God’s divine standard, they will never be saved.

What Are You Willing To Give Up For Christ?

"What is missing?" the young man asks. "What lack I yet?" (v. 20). Jesus says, "If you will be perfect (another synonym of salvation) go, sell what you have and give it to the poor..."

If you think that Jesus is saying that the way to be saved is to be charitable, then you have missed the point. What Jesus is saying is that you must love me more than you love anything else. He is saying that you must value eternal life more than anything else. In both the parable of the treasure and the parable of the pearl (Mt. 13:44-46) Jesus taught that when a man discovers the kingdom of God, he will surrender everything for it.

This message is missing from our modern-day preaching of the gospel. We are telling people that being saved is just adding Jesus Christ to what you already have. We are saying that you don’t have to change, you don’t have to give up anything for Christ. What Jesus is saying is that you must be willing to give up everything for Him (material possessions, comfort, boyfriend career, your favorite sin, pride, everything).

Did the young man answer this question correctly? The answer again is "No!" (v.22). What seemed like material assets were, in fact, spiritual liabilities. Your assets will not get you into the kingdom of God, but they may keep you out!

Will You Follow Christ?

After telling the rich young ruler that he must be willing to give up his riches for Christ, Jesus instructs the man to "come and follow me" (v.21). What is meant by the phrase "follow me"? What it means is that genuine salvation is evidenced a willingness to obey the Lord. It means a desire to be his disciple and a submission to Christ’s rule.

Did the young man complete this part of the test correctly? No. Vs. 22 says that he went away sorrowful. Bartemaeus came with blindness and came home seeing. The leper came with a loathsome disease and went home well. The woman who touched Jesus in the crowd went home whole. But this young ruler who came to Jesus a rich man went home a beggar. The others were desperate; but not he. He could take it or leave it and he left it. Jesus said that he lacked one thing but that one thing was enough to send his soul to hell.

My friend, you can come to the right person and ask the right question and have the right attitude and still be lost! I dare say that church membership roles are filled with people who were hot prospects to us, but who were never truly saved.

I beg you to put your salvation to test today. The Bible teaches that salvation is because of God’s grace. It is ours by simple repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. But please understand that your faith must be real saving faith which recognizes that Jesus is Lord, acknowledges your own sinfulness, is willing to give up everything for Christ and desires to obey him completely.