The Assurance of Faith
Zac Poonen emphasizes the importance of having assurance in our faith through God's promises, rather than relying on deceptive feelings.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the importance of having perfect assurance in our hearts that we are God's children, highlighting how Satan tries to instill doubt but God's promises in His Word assure us of our status. By trusting in promises like being accepted by Jesus and becoming children of God, and God's mercy and forgiveness, we can have unwavering faith in Him. Poonen illustrates the concept of strong faith by comparing it to crossing a river on a sturdy bridge, emphasizing the need to focus on God's unchangeable Word rather than our fluctuating feelings to avoid stumbling and falling into discouragement and condemnation.
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God wants us to have perfect assurance in our hearts that we are indeed His children. He never wants us to be in doubt about that fact.
Satan will try his best to keep us in doubt. But we need never be in doubt, for God has given us many promises in His Word to assure us.
Just look at these promises: Jesus said, "The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out ......Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life" (John 6: 37,47).
"As many as received Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
The Lord says, "I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more" (Heb. 8:12).
To put our faith in God's promises can be likened to our putting our feet on a strong bridge while crossing a river. If the bridge is strong, it doesn't matter even if our feet are weak. What is strong faith then? It is trusting in a strong God and in His promises.
Our feelings are often very deceptive. We should never trust them. There's a parable of three men called Fact, Faith and Feeling who were walking one behind the other on a narrow wall. Fact walked in front and Faith walked behind him and Feeling came along at the rear. As long as Faith kept his eyes on Fact in front of him, everything went smoothly. Feeling followed behind him perfectly. But as soon as Faith turned around to see how Feeling was coming along, he tumbled and fell to his death; and Feeling fell to his death too. Fact, however kept walking along the wall undisturbed!
The lesson in the parable is obvious. God's Word consists of unchangeable facts. If our faith looks steadfastly at God's Word alone, there is no danger of our ever falling; and feelings will follow in due course. But if we begin to look at our feelings, then we can easily tumble and fall into discouragement and condemnation.
Sermon Outline
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I
- God's desire for assurance in our hearts
- The role of doubt and Satan's influence
- Promises in God's Word as sources of assurance
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II
- The significance of Jesus' promises
- Understanding our identity as children of God
- God's mercy and forgiveness
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III
- The analogy of faith as a strong bridge
- The nature of strong faith in God
- The dangers of relying on feelings
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IV
- The parable of Fact, Faith, and Feeling
- The importance of focusing on God's Word
- The consequences of letting feelings dictate faith
Key Quotes
“The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.” — Zac Poonen
“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” — Zac Poonen
“I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- Focus on God's promises to build a strong foundation of faith.
- Avoid letting feelings dictate your spiritual state; instead, rely on the truth of Scripture.
- Regularly remind yourself of your identity as a child of God to combat doubt.