Uncertainty and doubts are ways the evil one seeks to destabilize the believer about their salvation by seeking to inject thoughts of doubts concerning God and their assurance of their salvation. Paul’s message in Romans 5:1-11 is the Believers assurance of their salvation for the Author, Sustainer is God and  this all “through our LORD Jesus Christ.”

Paul spoke of “fiery arrows” in Ephesians 6 regarding the spiritual warfare we are in as Believers in Christ. The enemy deals in lies, deception, doubts, discouragement to name a few and the way Paul said how to defeat this is through the “shield of faith.”  I John 5:4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. ” His Word is our weapon for the warfare. His Word is truth and its a battle against lies! ” We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. “-{2 Cor 10:4 NLT}, His Spirit empowering, enlightening us, His Word guiding and governing.

“I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”-{1 John 2:14}.

We combat the lies, doubts, with His Unchanging Word. Paul writes to assure the believer of the assurance of their salvation, it is eternal! Our salvation is secure.” Kept by the power of God.”-{1 Peter 1:5}. The word “kept” means “Shielded, Protected,” and who does the “protecting?” GOD DOES!

God does not want you to live in doubt, fears about Him or your salvation, HE WANTS YOU TO BE ASSURED!

Let’s look back and Review From Part 1…Of The Assurance Of Eternal Security…

JUSTIFIED.-Romans 5:1

We have been justified by faith in our LORD Jesus Christ. That is the human side,w e have placed our faith entirely and exclusively in the Person and Finished Work of our LORD Jesus Christ.  God justifies us. He declares we are not guilty and The Righteousness of Christ is placed to our account because “through” Jesus Christ He bore our sin in our place and God was satisfied and could Justify us!

1.We have PEACE WITH GOD-

the War is Over. We were “enemies” which speaks of animosity, deep seated hatred towards God as manifested in our rebellion, disobedience to His Son, Word. This is not a feeling of peace but a fact. God has declared the war over! For HE HAS Justified the sinner through the Work of the LORD Jesus.

2.We STAND IN GRACE –

We have “access,” the word speaks of “introduction” the word grammatically speaks of  permanence. In The Old Testament from the time of Adam’s sin when God removed them from the Garden, a spiritual distance came in between mankind and God due to sin and He placed that cherubim with flaming swords kept them away from His presence in the Garden of Eden. In the Tabernacle and temple there were walls and curtains erected between people and “access” to God, as a demonstration of what sin had done and God was holy and to attempt to cross  His defines lines would mean death! Jesus tore the veil of the Temple had been ripped in half from top to bottom to signify that now through the LORD Jesus people had access to God once again. We have permanent access to God “through”Jesus!

We stand in the permanent sphere, environment of Gods grace, Divine Favor, permanent acceptance with God for all eternity! By faith we are taken into this new sphere and we now Permanently stand in grace! But what about my sin as a Christian? Where sin abounds Grace super-abounds! It covers. Like a river that with the rain rises higher and higher eventually breaking its banks as it cannot be contained, no matter what sin, His grace covers it and cannot be overcome by sin. God’s Grace is Greater!!! What joy, what reason to boast to celebrate Him, to be joyfully confident in His provision for us “In Christ” that we are eternally secure in Him by His doing! Rejoice in Him and His work for you. An Eternal work!

Now we look at some more riches that is our inheritance…THIRDLY The Assurance of Eternal SECURITY is

3.THE HOPE OF GLORY.

“and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”-{Romans 5:2}.

We have eternal security because we have Peace with God. We have eternal security because we Stand In Grace and thirdly we have eternal security because of the HOPE OF GLORY! He has promised us Future Glory and we know He cannot and does not lie. He keeps all of His promises. There is a  future glory. And we will enter that future glory to be “with Him!”…” …We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.“-{1 John 3:2}. ” Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.“-{John 14:1-3}. “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. “-{2 Cor 5:8}.”For our citizenship is in heaven…”-{Phil 3:20}. “…these whom He justified, He also glorified.”-{Romans 8:30}. ” The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”-{2 Timothy 4:18}

We have a future Hope of Heaven with Him!

And the proper response is that we are to REJOICE, EXULT. The word {Kauchamoi} means a confident boast an exultant jubilation. It is a strong word, Boasting, “Joyfully Confident,”  in our secure salvation and future hope! We have  peace with God that happened in the past. We stand in Grace that is present. And we have a future Hope of glory! ” And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.”-{John 6:39}. We have a Secure Future in which to confidently boast and be “Joyfully Confident,” over. We boast In A Secure Future,that is what this passage is speaking about!And all this Through “…Christ Jesus, who is our hope,”-{1 Timothy 1:1}

We have a bright future for our Future is Christ!

“We Rejoice,{Exult} in Hope of the Glory of God.” -{v2}. The “Glory of God” is the expression of His Person, and we will be with Him and see Him in all His glory and reflect His glory.  “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”-{ Hebrews 2:10}.What was a purpose in saving you? To bring you to “glory!” He is going to get us safely Home, bringing us to glory!

We have the assurance of Eternal Security, the hope of Glory is that He will get us there to glory, and we will reflect His glory. We have reason To exult, rejoice, joyfully confident  in what God says will happen!

“…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory-{ Col 1;27}.When God saved you and Christ entered in By His Spirit, He enters in with the assurance and put in you what? “The hope of Glory.” Christ in you gives you the assurance, guarantee of what? “Glory!”

4. REJOICE IN SUFFERINGS, TRIBULATIONS.

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;“-{Romans 5:3-4}

“NOT ONLY THIS”

“Not Only This,” that He exulted, rejoiced, joyfully confident in future glory. “Not only this” but there is more! More wonderful truths to assure you of your eternal security “In Christ.”

Paul takes us from the Heavenlies back down to earth and it seems to break the thought  from the heavenly gifts we have to crash down to earth and speak of sufferings, tribulations, great pressures! It nearly seems out of place. But it is not. Paul assures us that on this earth even in our suffering which Peter told us not to be surprised over-{Read 1 Peter 4:12-13}. Trials are inevitable, James wrote-{Read James 1:2-3}. And He assures them that even in sufferings there is purpose and they cannot be separated from God through sufferings.

But also He exults, rejoices, in his present sufferings. The word speaks of tribulations meaning something that causes distress!  The word speaks of great pressure. It was used in old English times to try get a confession out of someone  by laying them down and placing a heavy eight, boulder on the chest of the person and the weight of the boulder would press down and squeeze the life out of the person, so great the force of the pressure. This is the idea behind the word.

Why would anyone in their right mind rejoice, be exuberant, “over the moon” in suffering? No one would! It is not the pain of  suffering, the great pressure of tribulations, but because we Know, the PURPOSE in our suffering!.

We rejoice, delight, exult, joyfully confident because of what God purposes in the Suffering, tribulation.

The Rejoicing is not in the sufferings themselves but in the  LORD of our circumstances and the effects they produce!

He says why.The word “Knowing” means “To Be Fully Aware…” God does not want us ignorant when troubles come our way but to be fully aware what He is doing.

“Knowing…Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces proven character, proven character produces Hope, and Hope does not disappoint ” Why? “BECAUSE the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”-{v3-5}.

“Produces” – I love this word, as it gives us an explanation, GOD’S PURPOSE in the text of what “Sufferings, tribulations, great pressures…” have in view as an end…The word means “to work out…to do that which something results, to accomplish, achieve, bring about, result in. “{Thayers}. Sufferings, tribulations have a Goal in God’s hands… how wonderful to know,{though not easy when you are going through them} but to “know,” “to be fully aware” of what God has in mind, His end, to produce, strengthen us with the certainty of His HOPE for us…

Suffering is productive for the follower of Christ!

It is meant to be productive, to produce something good and Godly in a believer’s life and it does when we trust Him and take Him at His Word  by faith obeying and viewing life through the lens of the Scripture, depending on His Spirit to empower us to do His will! God has given us everything we need to live Godly and has given us precious and magnificent promises to be used in our lives and sufferings-{Read 2 Peter 1:3-4}.

Sufferings produce Perseverance or steadfastness, the ability to remain under the trial and keep going doing His will and not giving in to despair, doubts or difficulties, but REJOICING, exulting because we KNOW, we are  “fully aware” of what God is doing!

Just as a pre- season for an athlete or boot camp for a recruit is to build the person up, strengthen them and be at the best they can be for what they will face. Perseverance is what God is producing in our suffering, tribulations under great pressure, not to destroy but develop and equip us for the long haul and all that comes to us of adversity of all kinds. Like an oak tree in a storm may be blown against, bent but does not break because it’s roots go deep as compared to some trees such as Pine trees, that look tall and majestic but have no deep roots and when the storms come are easily blown over. Perseverance strengthens our resolve and to have a mindset to continue on through the storms, staying power, not somehow but triumphantly, as the word”exulting” speaks of. “Exulting {boasting, glorying, rejoicing} in our sufferings” because of what we know because God wants us to know! How do we know? He has revealed it here in His Word.-{v 3-4.}.Glory to God!

In our troubles let us find reasons to rejoice, glory, boast, in Him.

And perseverance produces “proven character.” The word “proven” was used of metal such as steel that was put through the fire to strengthen it! It is put through a specific amount of heat and carefully observed so as to produce the desired effect of making it stronger, strengthening it.

God uses trials, the fiery trials to strengthen our faith! He controls the thermostat, and keeps a close, personal loving eye upon us. “His eye is on the righteous…”-{1 Peter 3:12}. Hagar fled and though no one saw her, but the LORD let her know He did.He sees our struggles, pain, and He assures us He is with us never to leave us. In times of suffering the writer of Hebrews assures the sufferings ones that God will never leave or abandon them for such can be a temptation in time of suffering,”God has left me, abandoned me, where is He?”But He assures the suffering one, “…God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”-{Read Heb 13:5} And “proven” character is that which He “approves.” That which has been through the fire of testing and approved of! He has held up Job as an example for us, “We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance.”-{James 5:11 NLT}.

God takes His servants through trials not to destroy them but develop them and also to put them on display. Endurance is developed in the furnace of affliction. It is staying power. Like an athlete who goes through weeks of pre-season to get them physically in shape, stronger so as to compete at their highest ability when the season starts. Pre- season is no fun. There is pain, but there is benefit that is produced through the training and pain! So God, in the spiritual realm is producing perseverance, strengthening our faith, mind set to endure, persevere during the storms of life, not giving up, not relying on self but On God, His Word to govern, guide, encourage us-{Read Romans 15:4}. He has gifted us His Spirit to enlighten, empower, and assure us we are loved by Him in our sufferings, tribulations, times of great pressure, at times crushingly so!

In adversity the Christian has the power to endure, persevere, be steadfast. God uses sufferings, tribulations, troubles to produce perseverance in us. “Knowing”  it means “to be fully ware,” that God is producing perseverance in you during your adversity. James wrote the same thing,”…knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance {steadfastness}.”-{James 1:3}

Suffering, tribulations, assure us our faith is genuine, real, and give us reasons to Rejoice in Him. Peter wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof {Genuineness} of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; “-{1 Peter 1;6-7}. And Paul likewise says we are to REJOICE In the HOPE we have in our Suffering, tribulations because of what we”Know” God is “producing” in our lives!

He uses trials to develop our faith as Paul in times of great testings testify too, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;“-{2 Cor 1:8-9}. God uses troubles to wean us off self reliance to depend more on Him in trusting Him. God uses suffering, tribulations, to Develop us spiritually, Develop endurance, character, faith and also “proven character ” produces “HOPE!”

We often use the word “hope,” in the sense of “wishing” for something but having no guarantee of it happening. Often a desire that goes unfulfilled. This  “hope,” speaks of uncertainty.  It is like the “hope” of a gambler. The hope of “chance.” The way Paul uses it here is a hope of certainty! “Confident expectation,” in God and what He says will happen. And this hope does not disappoint or leave us ashamed “because” the love of God through the Gift of the Holy Spirit has been poured into our heart to assure us God loves us.

What does a suffering person often encounter in their thinking? Doubts! Doubts about God’s care for them. Like the disciples in the boat when the storm came and Jesus was asleep, they woke Him and said “Don’t you care we are perishing!”  Martha said the same while making a meal and upset with Mary and took it out on the LORD and expressed what was in her heart when she said, “Don’t you care…?” Doubts arise in the mind. “Does God care…” Accusations against God often result from these doubts.” God doesn’t care… God doesn’t love you if He did what would He allow this to happen to you.” And often in our trial we see what is in our own heart, even wrong concepts we have about Him like David in Psalm 13 where four times in the first two verses he asked “how long,” the length of the trial getting to him and he though God had forgotten and  abandoned him. It was only as he prayed and reflected in verse 6 that he recalled with his thinking that the LORD had been good to him and it brought a song to his heart. Indeed God gives a song amidst our sorrows. It is good to ask Him to bring to your remembrance of past blessings so you can THINK right about Him and use as “fuel” in your difficulty to trust Him and praise Him as you have a HISTORY of God’s goodness, faithfulness to you. And as He has been in the past so He is in the present and will be in the future! And it is begins with thinking right about God and trusting Him for the present moment in times of tribulations, sufferings, great pressure!And this is where we must become people of  His Word to renew our mind so we may do His Word!-{ Read Romans 12:2;James 1:22}

In times of suffering God reminds the believer that HE LOVES them. They need the assurance and reassurance, their suffering is not in vain but has Divine purpose and knowing this we can exult,boast, glory, be joyfully confident, delight in His plan for us and what He is desiring to produce in us. In John 15 Jesus speaks of the vine and the vine dresser and how the vine that is fruitful is trimmed and seems strange since it is producing fruit but the vine dresser wants more, And God like the Vine dresser wants to develop more spiritual fruit, much fruit in our lives and He does this one way through suffering. God spiritually matures us, and uses sufferings for more spiritual fruit to be produced in us and through us. And fruit is always for…others!

Paul in Ephesians 3  recognizes and prays for the ones who are “weary,” to the point of inward exhaustion, prays they would be inwardly strengthened by the Spirit, Christ at home in their heart and then prays they would comprehend and know experientially the love of Christ for them! Do they not already know He loves them? They do, but often in times of weakness, suffering we often need reassurance. Eph 3:13-21 is a great prayer to pray for yourself or someone who is struggling in their trials, tempted to give up. This is a passage I have prayed over the years for people who are weary, emotionally, spiritually,” that God would do something to reassure them and so they would  experientially know He loves them!

God uses our suffering to develop  perseverance, steadfastness, proven character and hope that does not cause us to be ashamed because He who loves us will not let us down… His cross shows us, assures us He loves us.Suffering can never take away our hope, our Joy, because of His love for us!

 

WE ARE ETERNALLY SECURE BECAUSE WE HAVE 

Been JUSTIFIED by God and therefore have PEACE with God, we STAND in GRACE, we Have  FUTURE HOPE OF GLORY, we BOAST in Suffering because we know What God is producing in us as we trust Him who has gifted us the Holy Spirit to assure us God loves us! He would not give us the Holy Spirit if He did not love us. Even IN SUFFERING WE HAVE REASON TO BOAST, REJOICE, EXULT … and all these blessing come “THROUGH our LORD Jesus Christ.”