Well, good morning, brothers and sisters.
I’d like to read a few scriptures, or phrases from a few scriptures, and you may not understand the connection until we get into the message. So let me just read these.
This has been the text verse I’ve been using in this series on being fully persuaded: Romans 4:21. I think by now you know this, and I’ll just read the last phrase. It is speaking of Abraham, and it says:
And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
Now, that “He” is God, not Abraham. Okay, that’s the first one.
From the version Mac was speaking of—the New American Standard Bible—I’ll read Hebrews 11:1:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Read back to Romans. These are two verses you’re all very familiar with. The conclusion of chapter 8, Romans 8:38-39, says:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
First Corinthians—another verse you’re very familiar with—chapter 10, verse 13:
No temptation hath taken you but such as man can bear:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.
Another phrase you’re quite familiar with: Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 19. I think you all know this. This is the story concerning the rich young ruler, and the great lesson. Verse 26:
But Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
And finally, the last phrase comes from Hebrews 13, the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews. I think you’ll all recognize this phrase, verse 5:
For He hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.
Let’s just have a word of prayer as we begin.
Lord, we once again open Your Word and come to You in total dependence, that Your Holy Spirit would take the things that are just, to many, ink on the page and make them alive to us.
We always remember that phrase: “You alone have the words of eternal life.” Unless You speak, unless Your Holy Spirit breathes upon Your Word, it will be information. But when Your Holy Spirit breathes upon Your Word, it becomes revelation.
So we bow our hearts, and we open ourselves completely to the ministry of the Holy Spirit—not the ministry of man, not the thoughts of man, not the ideas of man—but the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to do just as You promise: to reveal the Lord Jesus to us in a fuller way.
And we ask these things together in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
I think most of you know, for the times I’ve been responsible for at least, we’ve been speaking on this matter of being fully persuaded. Now, I believe it’s an absolutely essential matter for individual believers. As a matter of fact, I believe in the end that’s what God wants for every believer: that they would be fully persuaded.
This is a powerful phrase that Paul used when he spoke of Abraham. But I think it’s also very important for us, as an assembly of God’s people, to be a people that are fully persuaded.
If we are that kind of people, then there will be a living testimony. Then there will be power in our life. Then there will be such a force in our life that people from the outside who don’t know the Lord, and people who may barely know the Lord, and people who deeply know the Lord, will recognize—just as Paul saw in Abraham—this deep secret: that he was, in fact, fully persuaded.
Now, I don’t think it is to be Abraham’s secret alone. You know what Paul did? First of all, Romans is the greatest presentation of the gospel that was ever done—the first eight chapters. It is the greatest presentation. It is a spiritual masterpiece.
No artist, no great writer, no great poet—no words have been spoken more deep and full than what was given by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans: the glorious gospel, it is called; the gospel of God, it is called. That was the whole emphasis of the book.
And then, in his test case that he used to prove the work of the gospel, he used Abraham. When he used Abraham, he had revelation, and he saw in Abraham something of a secret that he wanted to communicate to every believer. And that is that text verse that we read: being fully persuaded.
That was his conclusion. He saw it by revelation. No one else in the Bible uses that expression. And he saw by revelation that Abraham saw something, and it laid hold of him. That something, that great mystery, that great secret, was being fully persuaded that He who promised was able also to do it.
Now, I don’t think it is to be Abraham’s secret only, because it says in Romans 4:23, just following:
Now it was not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.
Brothers and sisters, I believe this is to be every Christian’s secret. In the end, we are to be so fully convinced that we know, without a shadow of a doubt, like Abraham, that He that promised is able also to do it.
As a matter of fact, when Paul spoke later in the same book, in Romans 14:5, he said, “Let every man be fully persuaded.” When he spoke of his beloved son Timothy, his son in the faith, he said in one of his two letters to Timothy, “Thou hast been fully persuaded.”
I believe it’s a secret we all need. And then, I think if you’re careful in your reading of the Word, you’ll discover that persuaded is quite a favorite word of the apostle Paul. He used the phrase often: “I am persuaded.” He was one who was fully convinced.
In his trial before Agrippa—you remember that scene—Agrippa was so overpowered by what the apostle Paul said that the king said, “Almost thou persuadest me.” You remember that in the book of Acts.
And Paul’s answer was quite unique and quite powerful. He said, “I would that every man were almost—and don’t stop there—and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
That’s what I believe the Lord is after in us as His people, and that’s why it has been such a burden on my heart.
Now, the second message we looked at was the basis of being fully persuaded. The basis is a firm foundation. If you don’t have a firm foundation—that is, the Lord Jesus alone—you will not be able to be one that is fully persuaded.
If you remember—I realize many of you may have forgotten; it’s been a little while—we just had three points, and they all come from Abraham and Sarah’s life, because they are the test case to prove this. They are the living example of ones that were fully persuaded.
The first point was: He hath promised. That’s what they saw. They saw the One who promised.
Not only did they see the One who promised; they saw the One in this second phrase, which is of such great importance: He is able.
Now, brothers and sisters, you and I are not able. You understand that. The whole of the Bible is teaching us that we are not able. But thank God, there is One that is able. He is able.
As a matter of fact, I encourage you to look that phrase up in your Bible. You’ll see it in many places, repeated again and again. You think of Ephesians chapter 3: He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine.
And then finally, that last thing: it says of Sarah in Hebrews that she saw that He who promised is faithful. Now, where would we be if it were not for that great revelation that He is faithful?
Every believer lives on that basis. Their life is founded on this singular basis: He is faithful.
You remember we’re reading and studying together 1 Corinthians, and the keynote verse that all of 1 Corinthians is built around is 1 Corinthians 1:9:
God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Well, that’s where we’ve been. And today, where we’re going is to look at this so-important matter of the assurance of being fully persuaded.
Not only do we need to see the issue—that’s the issue God’s looking for—not only do we need to have a firm foundation, but, brothers and sisters, we need the assurance of being fully persuaded.
If you remember, as we first talked about that phrase, it means to completely assure. It means to convince entirely. It means to be altogether persuaded. And that’s why we’re dealing with this third matter of being fully assured.
You know, I think a lot of people look at the Bible—especially those who don’t believe, and many who do believe—and think of the Bible as a book of judgment. Now, I know where you get that. God is a righteous Judge, and God does judge. It’s quite clear in the Scripture.
But I believe overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly, the Bible is a book of assurance—of overwhelming assurance. And that, to believers, is the thing we can live by: this assurance we have in the Lord. It’s a book of abounding assurance.
Now, Hebrews 11:1, which we just read a few moments ago, says:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
It is absolutely the highest proof of anything. It is incontrovertible evidence. It cannot be contested. It’s the most solid thing there is: the assurance that comes from God Himself.
As a matter of fact, there’s a version I know probably none of you have heard of—I had not as well—called the Weymouth New Testament translation. The Weymouth New Testament says of Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the well-grounded assurance.”
This is the best-grounded assurance we can get as believers. So today, we’ll look at some negative words—negative words used to convince us of this overwhelming positive assurance.
Your Bible often does that. It will use a negative word, and it is relating the most positive things.
First of all, we’ll look at this phrase: nothing can separate us. You remember, we read—that’s what we read in Romans 8:38-39.
The second thing is: no temptation has taken you. That’s what we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
The third thing is: nothing is impossible with God. That’s what we read in Matthew 19:26.
And then finally, the greatest assurance is: I will never leave you or forsake you. That’s what we read in Hebrews 13:5.
So let’s look at this matter of nothing can separate us. Turn with me again to Romans 8:38-39, and just so you’ll get it, I’ll read it again.
Paul’s phrase—one of his favorite phrases—concludes this glorious section on the gospel of God with these stirring words and these assuring words:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Quite powerful, two verses, you have to admit. It is a tremendous statement. This is his closing argument, for those of you that have a legal mind. These are his final words on the matter of the gospel: nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Powerful, powerful words. This is his victorious proclamation at the end of the gospel. He goes up shouting as he goes up: “Nothing, nothing whatsoever, nothing is able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.”
One of my favorite books on Romans is William R. Newell’s book. Now, if you don’t have William R. Newell’s book on Romans, I suggest you get it. And if you don’t have it and you can’t afford it, I’ll buy it for you—just don’t tell Linda.
It is a powerful study of this. He said of these two verses, “This is the key to Paul’s triumph as he goes shouting up the mountain heights of Christian faith: persuaded,” he said, with emphasis, “persuaded.”
He said, “Persuaded is a heart word. It’s not a head word. It’s something the Holy Spirit embeds in our spirit, and we’re overwhelmingly convinced that all God has said He will do, and everything He is faithful.”
That is the sense of these two verses.
You know, this whole argument Paul begins in chapter 8, as he closes out this presentation, this massive spiritual masterpiece on the gospel, in Romans 8:35. In verse 35 he uses the same argument. Instead of “what,” now it is, “Who shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus?”
Then he goes on and concludes with these two verses in Romans 8:38-39, with that glorious conclusion: nothing. Absolutely nothing is able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
He begins with this all-powerful phrase: “I am persuaded.” And that’s just what these two verses are to assure us of and convince us of. It is his triumphant answer of assurance, all captured in a single word, and that single word is nothing.
Absolutely nothing. That ought to be assurance to you as you live the Christian life.
The Bible has many lists in it, and I believe when you look at the Bible, many of these lists are not comprehensive lists. Most of them are not comprehensive lists.
You can think of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9-10—hardly a comprehensive list. Or you can think of the gifts of service in Romans 12:6-8—hardly a comprehensive list. Or you can think of the gifts of men in Ephesians 4:11, where it speaks of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. Hardly a comprehensive list.
But I think when you come to chapter 8 of Romans, these two lists that follow Romans 8:35 and are in Romans 8:38-39 surely, to me, look like comprehensive lists. Surely it looks like he has taken everything into account.
Look at Romans 8:35:
Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know what you call a calamity, but I would call these great calamities. And he is going on to teach us, and give us the assurance, that the greatest calamities that can happen to us as believers can never, and will never, separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Look at that list again: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. And he comes to that great conclusion: nothing. Nothing is able.
Then when you go to Romans 8:38-39:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How powerful the assurance in these words. I think they cover the greatest extremes: nor death, nor life. Think of that.
A lot of people think it’s hard to die. You know, it’s actually harder to live than it is to die. You remember the old phrase we often use: “Life is hard, and then you die.” It’s harder to live. But he said, “No. Nor death, nor life.”
You remember it says, in that famous closing in 1 Corinthians 15, that the last enemy to be conquered—the same apostle Paul said—is death. And yet he says, “Neither death nor life.”
Life is hard. Living isn’t easy. I think all of you will agree with me. I wouldn’t have to convince you too much that it’s hard. But neither death nor life.
Then he goes on to say, “Nor angels.” You know, angels—think about it, brothers and sisters—are the most powerful created beings. Man is not the most powerful created being.
Even in Hebrews, when it talks about the Lord Jesus, it speaks of Him as being made a little lower than the angels. The most powerful beings in this universe, outside of God, can never separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Nor principalities: I believe they are the whole horde and realm of demonic forces. All the demonic activity in the universe will never be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Nor principalities—I think I just said that, didn’t I? Keep me straight. I know it’s a full-time job, but Linda’s been at it for a while and still hasn’t mastered it.
Nor things present. Think of it: present life. Think of our present circumstances. Think of living in the present, how very difficult it is.
But present. Then, so he makes sure he covers it all, he said, “Nor things to come.” Not just our present conditions, not just what you’re going through now—and I know some of you are going through terrific dark circumstances—but what you will go through. Anything that you will go through is covered by this broad blanket of divine assurance.
Nor height. The greatest, the highest thing will never separate you. And just so he was sure to cover it: nor depth.
Nor any other creature is able to separate. Think of that powerful negative word: neither, nothing.
Think of that repeated phrase that the apostle Paul used again and again when he said nine times: “Nor death, nor life, nor, nor, nor.” Nine times.
Brothers and sisters, what great assurance there is to us who believe in the gospel. No extreme, no matter how great, can separate us. Every possible situation, and a single clear answer of assurance: nothing. Absolutely nothing. That was Paul’s final answer.
Now, some of you may remember the old—I’m showing my age here very badly—you remember the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? I think it was in the nineties. I remember our kids were still at home.
It had quite a good run. What I liked about it, it was clean, number one. What I liked about it, it was somewhat educational. We learned something. And, of course, I was never on it, so I didn’t have a chance of winning the million dollars.
But you remember how that swept over the nation. As a matter of fact, it came from Britain. It was first in Britain, so we can thank our British friends for that. It came to the United States, and it had this ten-year run.
You remember the question they always asked. You remember what they said at the end? It was embedded in the American lexicon. It was embedded so much that if you would go to the boardroom or the bedroom—sorry, I don’t say that to offend anybody—or if you would go anywhere, they would say, “Is that your final answer?”
You remember that: “Is that your final answer?”
This was the apostle Paul’s final answer of assurance: nothing. And by that, we can be encouraged with the greatest assurance there is.
That would be enough assurance, don’t you think? Don’t you think if God would just write upon our hearts that single assurance, it would be enough to live out our days individually, triumphantly? But He doesn’t stop there. God can’t give enough assurance—overwhelming assurance.
The second point is: no temptation has taken you but that which is common to man. First Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation hath taken you but such as man can bear:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.
Now, I think this is powerful assurance. Think of what, again, the apostle Paul is telling the believers. There is no temptation you can go through that you cannot bear. None. There is no exception here.
If he said, “There are some temptations that you may go through that are impossible,” you may have a different thought. But the assurance that comes from the Word of God is absolutely clear: no temptation shall take you but what is common to man.
Then he reminds you of this wonderful little foundational secret that Abraham and Sarah knew: God is faithful. You may think, in the middle of your temptations, in the middle of your trials, “This couldn’t be true.” But he reminds us that God is faithful.
That makes such a great difference.
Now, you might have noticed a difference in the Darby version. It says, “will make the issue also.” Those of you who know how much I love the King James Version know that it says, “will make a way of escape.” You remember that, right? A number of versions have used that phrase: “a way of escape.”
Now, here’s a problem. This is why I’m inclined toward this way, but I will not be absolute. As believers, when we come into temptation and difficulties, we’re always looking for a way of escape.
Now, I believe the Word doesn’t necessarily allow us to escape every circumstance we’re in as believers. I believe He will make the issue known. I believe the secret is the last phrase. It says in King James, it says in Darby, it says in NASB, it says in almost every version: “that you will be able to bear it.”
That’s the key. How tremendous, that assurance. Nothing—no temptation can take you. You may not believe it, but it’s God’s Word, and we know because it’s God’s Word, it’s true.
I believe there is a secret in the middle of temptation. I think this is the one secret: we need to look up.
We’re in the middle of temptation. I think the problem with us as believers is we look down. Or, even worse, if you remember Stephen’s warning, Brother Kong’s warning in the family conference, we look inside.
What do we do when we look inside? Either pride or despair. That’s all you’ll find. The secret in temptation is to look up. So look unto Him. Don’t trust in yourself. Don’t trust in your strength.
You will discover a reserve that is made available to you in the issue, that you are able to overcome.
I love that hymn, “Before the Throne of God Above.” I think you all know it. Verse two says:
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Now, how many of us live there? How many of us—is that our residence? We live in that condition. Constantly, the whisperings of the enemy tell us how unworthy we are, and how we’ll never get through this battle, how we’ll never get through this conflict, how we’ll never survive this temptation.
But the secret is in the next phrase: “Upward I look, and see Him there who made an end of all my sin.”
Don’t underestimate that single secret: upward I look and see Him there. It’s the secret in the middle of every temptation.
You know, most of us don’t understand the difference between temptation and testing. I want to read you a quote of Brother Kong’s. I’m going to take the time and do that. It’s the most powerful thing.
After I read it recently in his book on spiritual leadership, I remembered it when he spoke it live here among us many years ago. He explained in the most vividly accurate expression what the difference between temptation and testing is. Let me just read this.
There is a great difference between temptation and testing. This is from Spiritual Leadership, if you want to look it up and verify that I’m not exaggerating.
Temptation comes from the enemy. Testing comes from God. Temptation is trying to draw out the lust of the flesh in order to defeat us. But testing is drawing out the reserve which God has deposited in us, that it may be further strengthened.
Sometimes, however, we find that when Satan tempts, God tests.
Now, that’s when it gets a little fuzzy. You sit there praying as you’re going through your temptation, and you say, “Is this the enemy, or is this God? I don’t know. What is it?”
But sometimes—you remember Job. You can think of Job 1:8. I often say, “Why did God do this?” I’m glad He didn’t do it to me. But He said to Satan himself, “Have you considered My servant Job?”
That was when God allowed great temptation, but it was a test. Because, as we read later in James, the end of the Lord with Job is mercy—great mercy. Those who persevere, and the Lord kept them.
Well, let me keep going:
Sometimes, however, we find that when Satan tempts, God tests. But He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Why? Because when He allows Satan to tempt, He has already deposited enough in us to overcome that temptation.
Isn’t that wonderful?
If this is not so, He will not allow the temptation to come to us. Oftentimes, we think we are tempted beyond our measure. No such thing! It cannot happen. If God allows the enemy to tempt us, He knows what He has already deposited in us, and if we only look to Him—do you remember that phrase from that hymn, “Upward I look and see Him there”—we will be able to overcome. The reason we are defeated is because we do not look to Him. We do not draw upon the resources which He has already deposited in us.
How tremendous that is. I think that is the best explanation of temptation and testing that I have ever read, bar none.
You know, you think of when the Lord—here’s another difference. Let me maybe illustrate, help you. You remember when the Lord was taken by the Spirit? It says that in Matthew 4:1: He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Now, that’s the Lord allowing temptation. You remember that. And He was tempted in every way imaginable. You may remember the three things: the stones that he said, “Turn to bread”; or you may remember on the edge of the temple, “Throw Yourself down, for Psalm 91 says He will protect You and bear You up”; or you may remember the last and great temptation: “If You bow down and worship me, I will give You all of the world and the universe”—as if he could.
He was tempted in body—bread; in soul—protecting Himself; and in spirit—bowing down to worship the enemy. The Lord Jesus was tempted in every way and overcame.
Then, when you think of Genesis 22—I think it’s verse 15; I may be wrong—Genesis 22, that I’m sure of, when it speaks of Abraham and Isaac and the offering of Isaac as a sacrifice, it says, “And God tested Abraham.”
Now, if your version says “tempted” anywhere, scratch it out and write “tested.” Then you will always understand there is a great difference.
Because the overwhelming assurance is that in any temptation in which we find ourselves, God is faithful, and He will not allow us to be tempted.
Threefold assurances: number one, no temptation has taken you but what is common to man. Number two, God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. That’s a clear promise. Number three, with the temptation He will make the issue, so that you will be able to bear it.
Isn’t that glorious assurance? Can there be greater assurance than that? I think that is of tremendous importance.
When we look at Hebrews 2:18, listen to this verse:
For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted.
There is one secret: upward I look and see Him in the midst of temptation. Take His reserve that He has deposited in us by the Holy Spirit, and find strength that is not our own, but is His, to overcome in that specific situation.
The third point. If these two were not enough, brothers and sisters—that’s why I say the Bible is a book, first of all to me, of abounding assurance—this would be enough: nothing can separate us; no temptation can take you.
But He goes on to say, “Nothing is impossible with God.” I believe throughout the Bible, from the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible, this is an obvious theme: nothing is impossible with God.
I think there are two parallel themes through the Bible, if you allow me to postulate for a moment. There is, “Everything is impossible for man.” That’s one road. You can take it if you like; many of us do. And we discover that soon on as a Christian.
Or the other road is: “Nothing is impossible with God.” That is great assurance.
You remember the story of Abraham and Sarah that we’re talking about, and how they were in an utterly impossible situation. Often, God’s way is to bring you as a believer, and me as a believer, or us as a church, into a situation that is absolutely impossible for us.
It’s on purpose. It’s to teach you the single greatest assurance: nothing is impossible with God. It’s impossible for you.
Think of Abraham and Sarah’s situation. It was impossible by the very definition: the promised son to come through them. Abraham was one hundred years old, and I love what Romans 4:19 says: he knew his body was already dead.
That’s a pretty impossible situation. And he also saw the deadness of Sarah’s womb. That’s a doubly impossible situation. His body is dead, and her womb is dead. Now, how on earth is the promised son coming through Abraham and Sarah?
It was all to teach us this greatest assurance: nothing is impossible with God.
When our kids were young, there was a movie—and we don’t see many movies, by the way, hardly any—there was a movie you’re bound to remember, The Princess Bride. I think you all still remember it. I can’t help but laugh at scenes once in a while when I catch it.
Do you remember when they took the dead prince—remember, Inigo Montoya took the dead prince to Billy Crystal, the sorcerer—and said, “Looking for a miracle?”
I think it’s often us as believers. We’re always going looking for a miracle. Here is the prince that was dead, and to me this is the funniest story. Billy Crystal did a good job. He said, “He is mostly dead, but he’s not all dead.”
That was his explanation. Mostly dead means slightly alive. Now, if he’s all dead, all you can do is go through his pockets and look for spare change. That was his explanation.
Now, Abraham and Sarah were not just mostly dead. They were dead dead. Abraham’s body was dead. Sarah’s womb was dead. This is an impossible situation.
It was so impossible. You remember when God appeared in Genesis and Sarah was hidden in the tent—hidden in the tent—and He gave the great promise? It says she laughed in herself.
God said, “Why is it that Sarah laughs?” Sarah said, “Oh, I didn’t laugh.” I think that’s like most of us when we’re caught: “Oh, I didn’t do that.”
Then He said this word. I think it’s in Genesis 18:14:
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Brothers and sisters, I wish the Holy Spirit could write that upon your heart and write that upon my heart. This was the one lesson they came out of the impossible circumstance with: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
You remember likewise, in Jeremiah 32, it’s the darkest hour for the children of Israel. You remember the testimony of God was lost. You remember they were in captivity—such a dark period. The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah was, “Is there anything too difficult for Me?”
That was the word. What Sarah saw, what Jeremiah saw between his tears of weeping, was they saw the God of the impossible.
Have you seen the God of the impossible? Have you seen Him in your heart? It is the greatest assurance to know that what is impossible for me is not impossible for God.
I believe this is the Bible’s answer: “I am the God of the impossible.”
You remember the story of the rich young ruler. We read that verse in Matthew 19:26. You remember the rich young ruler. He was quite an example.
He came to the Lord and he said to the Lord—if you read, by the way, it’s in all three Synoptic Gospels, so you can read, and there’s a little different flavor in each. You’ve got Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But I’m citing Matthew just for a moment for brevity.
In Matthew, he came to the Lord and he said, “Master, what good thing must I do that I can inherit eternal life?”
Now, I hope you saw the emphasis there. He said to the Lord, “What good thing can I do that I might inherit eternal life?”
I think it’s Luke—it may be Luke and Mark; I’m not quite so sure standing up here—but He said, “Why do you call Me good? Only God is good.” That should have been an eye-opening experience for the rich young ruler, don’t you think?
So the Lord knows his heart, and the Lord is trying to convince him of this single principle, this single secret. He says to him, “Okay, okay, I can play this game. Do all the commands.”
He began to recite all the commandments. The most extraordinary thing to me when I read the story of the rich young ruler is he says, “All these have I done since my youth. What lack I yet?”
Can you imagine? He thought he did them all. And the Lord is so wise when He deals with us. You know, the Lord is so wise. He said, “If thou wouldest be perfect…”
He knew he was a rich young ruler for a reason. He had many possessions. He said, “Take all you have. Sell it. Give it to the poor. And come, follow Me.”
It says, “And he went away sad, because he had much possessions.”
Now let me ask you: do you think that’s the lesson? Do you think the lesson is for you and me to go out tomorrow, when the banks open and we can get to our 401(k), and sell everything we have, give it to the poor, and follow Him?
The millionaires in this room are going to be terribly disappointed. You see them holding their wallets already.
It’s not the lesson. The lesson is: this is the one thing that was impossible for him.
You remember Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts, when they came and deceived the Holy Spirit. You remember that scene. Others had taken everything they had and laid it at the feet of the apostles, and they brought part and lied as if they had brought all.
Peter had the most wise counsel. He said, basically in colloquial language, “It’s yours. You didn’t have to give it at all. It’s yours. But what’s wrong is you’ve deceived the Holy Spirit.”
So, you know what happened. It was a dual funeral.
The lesson is to show us the impossibility of us doing anything for God. That’s the lesson.
So clear is it when you read the end of the story in Matthew 19. You remember, the disciples were agitated. Now, these are ones that did sell all, left their fathers, left their boats, left and came. You remember that.
They were astonished, is the word my version uses. They were astonished. Peter, the spokesman, said, “How then can man be saved?”
Then, in Matthew 19:26, the lesson of assurance is given:
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Isn’t that good news? Brothers and sisters, like Abraham, like Jeremiah, we need to see the God of the impossible. Have you seen Him? Have you seen Him?
Has the Holy Spirit whispered those words of comfort in your heart: “Is anything too hard for Me in your current circumstances?”
This is the assurance of being fully persuaded.
The last thing: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Brothers and sisters, to me, that’s the greatest assurance in the whole Bible.
How tremendous that assurance. It’s the assurance of the Old Testament, and it’s the assurance of the New Testament.
You remember Moses was one hundred and twenty years old, and he was told by God, “You will not go into the promised land.” God spoke these words to him, for him and for the children of Israel.
He said in Deuteronomy 31:6:
He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
How beautiful. What great assurance.
You remember how great this is. Moses didn’t go into the promised land, but if you read the record, Moses died and God Himself buried Moses. He never left him. He never forsook him.
Even though he struck the rock twice, He never let him go. The assurance of being fully persuaded is, “I will never let you go.”
So great was this, Moses spoke this to the children of Israel. He said in Deuteronomy 31:8:
He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee.
So great is this assurance that you remember God Himself spoke it to Joshua. He said to Joshua in Joshua 1:5:
As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
This is the greatest assurance in the whole of the Old Testament. And brothers and sisters, it’s not just the greatest assurance of the Old Testament; it’s the greatest assurance of the New Testament.
That anonymous and anointed writer of Hebrews, when he was closing out his message to those Hebrew believers, in Hebrews 13:5, says, speaking of God:
I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.
Think of it. That writer, whoever he is, knew exactly what he was doing. He resurrected the greatest promise from the Old Testament, and he made it the promise of the New Testament.
To me, these are comforting words. These are great and comforting words.
It reminds me of that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.” Listen to this last verse. I think we should sing it often:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.
Triple assurance. That is the assurance of being fully persuaded.
Brothers and sisters, I believe—at least this is the word the Lord has given me for the hour.
You remember the last words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel? When He gathered the disciples together before He was taken up, you remember the words were:
And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Or, as my version puts it, “even to the completion of the age.”
Think of those words. Could the Lord Jesus have left more assuring words to His disciples than He left in those final words, at that final moment before He was taken back to the Father?
“I am with you all the days.” I believe our more modern versions might have said, “Some of the days. Some of your circumstances.”
There is no doubt. There is no lack of assurance. All of your days.
I remember that great story of Campbell Morgan when he closed out—another good book I’ll recommend; I don’t know if it’s still in print—Campbell Morgan’s book on Matthew. Wonderful thing.
He has a wonderful story as he concludes on Matthew 28. He talks about going to visit a little old lady, eighty-five years old, and reading these very closing words to this little old lady.
I’m sure he thought he was ministering to this little old lady when he said, “I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age.” He looked at this little woman and said, “That is a great promise.”
This little old lady, knowing the Lord so well, her head shot up. She looked at him and said, with a sense of humor—divine humor—“That is not a promise at all. That is a fact.”
Campbell Morgan couldn’t escape those words. He concluded his thoughts by saying, “Oh, that we would all know that fact.”
If you do, you will be one who is fully persuaded.
Well, this is the burden the Lord has laid upon my heart: the assurance of being fully persuaded.
It would be enough if we just had that assurance: nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. But God gives us more.
No temptation can overtake you but what is common to man. That would be enough. But yet God, in His great mercy—the God of all comfort, the God of all assurance, if you will—gives us this third assurance: nothing is impossible with God.
Think of it. Have you seen the God of the impossible?
And if that were not enough, He layers upon us the greatest assurance in the whole of the Bible: “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will be with you all of your days, even to the completion of the age.”
To me, this is the assurance of being fully persuaded. May the Lord find a people like that among us—like Abraham, like Sarah, like Paul, like the early church—those that are fully persuaded.
Lord, we commit these words back to You and pray the Holy Spirit would enlighten and make real to us things men can’t say.
We just lay before You these thoughts and ask that You breathe upon them life, and they go deep into our being.
And we know, we know, that unparalleled assurance that is in the Word of God and from God.
If You write these things on our hearts, dear Lord, we will be among that number that are fully persuaded.
This we ask You to do in the name of Jesus. Amen.