Death Changes Everything

Not yet a real believer, but a part of the church, and you found yourself under a concrete multi-level parking garage, sleeping on a cot while bombs were falling all over you. You might want to do a heart examination. To live in the starkness of the imminence of death changes everything, and I’m certain that there are people who in that situation have turned to the Lord. We’re just grateful to have heard of some even this morning. It would not be a time when you would want to not be sure where you were headed.

And after death are only two possibilities, heaven and hell, and you will live in one of those forever. So this is a time when it’s understandable that people in the face of imminent death would want to come to the gospel and embrace that which will deliver them from condemnation, judgment and hell, and bring them into the glories of heaven. And we also understand that this would be a time when believers would want to be certain that their salvation was the real thing. Now we know that the church is made up of true believers and false wheaten tares.

We know that because Jesus said that. And our Lord also said that in the day of judgment, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, confessing Him, and He will say, depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity. And that is to say that there are people who will end up in the judgment moment believing they’re headed for heaven, only to find out they are not. They’re headed to hell. Any kind of dire circumstance, any kind of life-threatening setting would make a person who professed to be a Christian want to examine his or her heart to be certain.

And I’m sure that’s happening because I know it just happens in general. I suppose if there’s a common question that I’m asked, both personally and by mail, and on Grace To You radio, it comes up all the time, it is this question. How can I be sure I’m really a Christian? How can I be sure I’m really saved? Anybody who’s a believer has faced the reality of a doubt here or there, wondering whether my salvation is real. But any kind of dire circumstance, or even the reality of your getting older, or maybe your unwell, or perhaps fearful of something that may overtake your life before you are sure you’re a Christian.

I understand that, because you want to know for sure. That’s what I think the focus of our message to you this morning is, and it’s really just a brief one. How do I know I’m really saved? Now, there are two things you have to consider. One is security, and the other is assurance. When I talk about security, I’m saying, is salvation forever? That is, if I have the real thing, is it eternal? Well, that’s easy to answer. It’s called eternal life. What else would eternal life be but eternal? Yes, if you are truly saved, you have received eternal life.

Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God in Christ. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. You are headed for heaven. Salvation is forever. You don’t get it, and lose it, and hopefully get it back. It is forever. And I want to show you that, 1 Peter 1, before we get to Ephesians, 1 Peter 1, verse 3. And Peter is writing to some believers who are scattered, being persecuted. It’s a hard time, and I’m sure they wanted to know the reality of their salvation. So Peter writes to them about the security of their salvation.

Listen to what he says in verse 3 of 1 Peter 1. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. God, in His mercy, His great mercy, caused us to be born again. You don’t see any role that we played there. God in His great mercy regenerated us to a living hope that is attached to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So Christ arose. He lives. We rose in Him.

We live as He lives. So Peter is talking about the eternality of salvation, because our salvation is in Christ. And Christ lives forever. We live forever. So we have a living hope, meaning a hope of eternally living. And Peter expands on that in the next verse, verse 4. There is prepared for us an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Again, Peter is saying, based upon the regenerating work of God, out of His great mercy, we have been given a hope that lives because Christ lives.

And when that hope is realized, we will receive an inheritance, imperishable, undefiled, unfading, reserved in heaven for you. It’s reserved in heaven for you and for no one else. That is the security of our salvation. Further, he says in verse 5 that we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The full revelation of our final salvation and the receiving of that glorious heavenly inheritance is for us and no one else, and we are protected by the power of God for that final revelation.

So Peter is literally affirming the security of salvation, the security of salvation. You will one day be in glory, as it says at the end of verse 8, and greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, because you will obtain, as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. This is security. Security is objective. It is based on the divine revelation. Scripture says salvation is forever. If you have it, it is forever. Thank you for joining us in this exploration of death changes everything. Until next time, remember to keep the faith, stay strong, and continue to shine your light in the world.

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