You Can Be Sure

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Romans 8:28-31Salvation, from start to finish, is of the Lord. It is only by the grace of God that we can be sure of our salvation.Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”There are five foundational facts on which our faith rests.The first fact is God’s foreknowledge of our salvation. God knew we were going to be saved before we did. When God foreknows something, it is not an educational guess; He sees the beginning, middle, and end of everything, all at once.Second, we can be sure of our predestination to be like Jesus. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).Adrian Rogers says, “God doesn’t predestine some people to go to Hell, and God doesn’t predestine some people to go to Heaven. God predestines every child of God, everyone who is born again, to be like Jesus.” God wants everyone to be saved, but in order for love to be love, it cannot be forced. So God gave us free will; whether we want to be saved or not is up to us.Third, we are sure that God foreknew we would be saved: “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called…” (Romans 8:30). Whenever the Gospel is preached, God is calling people to salvation. Through His Word and His Spirit, God can make the spiritually blind see things they’ve never seen before.Fourth and fifth, we can be sure of our settled justification, and finally, our eternal glorification.“...whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:30).The basis of our justification is the blood of Jesus Christ; it becomes effective when we trust in Him. As a result, God no longer deals with us as sinners, but as servants. As servants, God already sees us in Heaven, in His heart and mind, settled and glorified. And what has been settled in Heaven cannot be annulled or undone in time.Apply it to your lifeAre you sure of your salvation?Adrian Rogers says, “If you’ll put your faith where God has put your sins, on the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be absolutely sure.”