What do you know for sure?
I KNOW FOR SURE THE BIBLE IS THE PERFECT WORD OF GOD.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become CONVINCED of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Though the Bible was written over the course of many centuries, over the span of about 2000 years, and though it was written by 40 authors, the messages contained on its pages are coherent and consistent. 40 authors tell the same story.
Archaeologists have confirmed that the Bible is an accurate retelling of history.
The Bible is also a self-authenticating book. If you read it with the intent to hear from God, the Holy Spirit will speak to you and confirm that it can be trusted.
I KNOW FOR SURE NOTHING CAN GET BETWEEN ME AND THE LOVE OF GOD
Romans 8:37 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am CONVINCED that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sometimes, when life is hard, when prayers aren’t answered the way we want them to be answered or in the way that would seem consistent with a loving God, Satan wants to tempt us to doubt God’s love. No one was probably more consistently persecuted than the Apostle Paul. He had it hard not just because he was a human, but because he was a follower of Christ. Whenever he faced beating, stoning, imprisonment, or shipwreck, he didn’t question, “Does God love me?” Are you faced with a present circumstance that has caused you to doubt God’s love for you? God is for you. Nothing can separate you from His love. God is never not loving. God is love.
I KNOW FOR SURE GOD CAN DO EVERYTHING HE HAS PROMISED
Romans 4:18-21 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead–since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded (CONVINCED) that God had power to do what he had promised.
Abraham was fully convinced that even though he and Sarah had never had a son and even though they were a gazillion years old, that he and Sarah would have a son and that from them would become an entire nation of people. I love the obvious emphasis Paul made here in Romans 4 when he said, Abraham faced the fact that his body was a good as dead and that Sarah’s womb was dead also. As I have aged some and have now turned 50, I am having to face some facts of my own. Can I get an “amen” from anyone who can identify? Paul wants us to know that against all evidence and against all odds, Abraham was convinced God would do what He promised He would do for Abraham and Sarah, and God did just what He said.
I KNOW FOR SURE WHO GOD IS
2 Timothy 1:12 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED, and am CONVINCED that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Notice how Paul begins this verse. He doesn’t start with WHAT he knows, but with WHO he knows. It is important to know what we know, but it’s far more important to know in whom we have believed, and not just to know about Him, but to know Him. To have a set of convictions that aren’t anchored in the person of Jesus Christ will only take you as far as your creativity, your intellect or your grit. But to anchor your convictions in the person of Christ who can never fail, is the only way to know that one day when this life ends, you have chosen to believe the One who knows the way out of this life and into eternity in Heaven.
Many people know what they believe, but they don’t want the accountability and responsibility that come in having a relationship with a Sovereign and Holy God. Your beliefs won’t take you anywhere if they aren’t anchored to Jesus.
Paul said, “My God can keep safe when I have entrusted to Him.” What was it that Paul had entrusted? Paul banked his life with the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave his very life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said of himself that he was crucified with Christ. He no longer lived. (Galatians 2:20) Think of it like someone going into the witness protection program. That person gets a whole new life and is counting on the powers that be to take care of that person and keep them safe in their newfound life and freedom. Our God is the God that does that for us. Paul knew he wasn’t able to keep himself safe and to take himself from this life to the next, but he knew God could and would.
What do you know for sure and Who do you know that can keep you safe as you journey through life to live out your convictions?
