Introduction
We saw in chapter seventeen of the Baptist Confession of Faith that a persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark of genuine faith. The eighteenth chapter of the Baptist Confession of Faith explains a correlative truth, the Christian doctrine of assurance of salvation. Perseverance does not undermine the certainty of our salvation but contributes to the believer’s full assurance. This doctrine of assurance brings comfort to those who understand it. Unfortunately, the doctrine is often misunderstood or misrepresented by those who either deny it or embrace it without cause. The sermon this Lord’s Day will bring scriptural clarity to the matter.
The hymns selected for this service express the believer’s confidence that he or she belongs to and is kept by God.
PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP
Prelude
Call to Worship: Psalm 25:8-10
Invocation
PROCLAMATION
Hymn (Insert) I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
Note: Assurance of salvation begins with knowing Christ and by faith laying hold of his work on our behalf.
Worship through Giving
Congregational Response: Hymn 72 Glory Be to God the Father
Hymn 158 Jesus Lives and So Shall I
Note: We usually sing this hymn during Easter celebrations. It contains a robust expression of confident assurance. The living Christ will surely raise his own and bring us to glory.
Jesus lives, I know full well,
Naught from Him my heart can sever,
Life nor death nor pow’rs of hell,
Joy nor grief, henceforth forever.
None of all His saints is lost;
Jesus is my hope and trust.
Scripture Reading Psalm 56:1-13
Note: In this psalm, David voiced his weighty troubles to the Lord. Rather than allowing his troubles to sow seeds of doubt regarding his relationship with the Lord, David publicly declared his unyielding trust in Him. This is a mark of assurance, grounded in truth, not personal comfort. His confident assurance appears in the refrain stated and repeated: v. 4 and v. 10.
Pastoral Prayer
Hymn (Insert) Eternal Spirit, God of Truth
Note: The sermon will demonstrate that Christian assurance is more than a mere subjective feeling. It involves objective facts but in the end, it is the Spirit of God who employs those objective realities to provide internal conviction that we are truly children of God (Romans 8:16). This is a new hymn sung to a familiar tune. The lyrics proclaim this truth:
Eternal Spirit, God of Truth . . .
.. . . with our spirit witness bear
that we are sons of God,
redeemed, from sin and death and hell
thro’ Christ’s atoning blood.
Message: Assurance—A Grace Too Often Misunderstood
Text: 1 John 5:13
Pastor Steven Thomas
RESPONSE
Hymn 371 It Is Well with My Soul
Note: Sorrows come. Satan buffets us with trials. These things give no cause to doubt our relationship with Christ. We have this blessed assurance: Jesus cares about us and oversees it all for his good purposes. Therefore, we sing, “It is well with my soul.”
Prayer Response: David Dossette
Benediction: John Miles