Scripture Matters Podcast - Episode 3 (Chapter 2 - "God Wants You To Feel Sure")

A single question can expose a lifetime of doubt: are you saved? If your first instinct is I hope so, you’re not alone—but that reflex might say more about how you see God than you realize. We walk through Jack Wilkie’s Chapter 2, “God Wants You To Feel Sure” to show why scripture aims to give believers settled confidence, not a lifetime of anxious guesswork.

We start with a vivid picture from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: the pressure of the final answer and the lure of partial winnings. Salvation doesn’t work that way. God doesn’t offer partial peace; he gives a covenant promise. From there, we open the Bible. 1 John 5:13 states the purpose of assurance plainly. Romans 8:1 declares no condemnation now for those in Christ. Ephesians 1:13–14 explains the Spirit’s seal as God’s pledge. Acts 2 reveals early gospel clarity that produces worship, joy, and community. Then we trace assurance backward: Abraham’s credited righteousness, David’s steady voice in Psalm 23 and 32, and God’s self-definition in Exodus 34 as merciful, gracious, and patient. If your picture of God is a harsh grader, scripture invites you to see the helpful teacher and faithful Father.

We also face the deeper reason doubt feels safer: it keeps us guarded and in control. But assurance doesn’t weaken repentance; it makes repentance possible. When you know you’re loved, you stop hiding and start growing. Jesus warned the self-righteous, not penitent people who long for certainty. Real assurance fuels holiness because confidence in Christ’s sufficiency turns pride into praise and fear into obedience. Loved people become loyal people.

Join us as we move from I hope to I know—not because we’re flawless, but because Jesus is a sufficient Savior and God keeps his covenant. If this conversation helps you rest in God’s promises, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it. What scripture anchors your assurance today?

Transcript

Are You Saved? The Real Question

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Cliff, I want to start out with a question that sounds simple, but it exposes how many Christians actually live. If someone were to ask you right now, no warm-up, no early warning, are you saved? What answer comes out naturally? Because the reality is for a lot of people, the honest answer isn't yes. No, instead, it's I hope so, or I think so, or I'm trying to be. And those answers, they sound humble, but they can also sound like you're not sure that God is actually going to keep his word.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

And Jonathan, that's why this chapter matters so much. Please understand that when you say things like I hope so, it might feel safe and you might think you're being cautious, but it can hide a deeper assumption. And we covered that in episode two, if you remember. We stated then to some they might believe that salvation is real fragile and that God might change his mind depending upon how we perform this week, but that is not true.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

No, it certainly isn't. And please hear us out there. We're not trying here myself, Cliff Thompson, or Jack Wilkie, we're not trying to create cocky Christians. Our goal is to help create peaceful Christians, Christians who can say, God says what he means, and I'm gonna trust him.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

So when Wilkie says God wants you to be sure, now he's not wanting you to print it out and use it like some type of motivational poster that you want to put up on your refrigerator. No, no, that's not it at all. It really is a claim about what scripture intends to produce in you as a believer.

God Wants You To Feel Sure

SPEAKER_01 1:57

That's right. So today, on episode three of Scripture Matters, we're going to be covering chapter two of Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, a Christian Assurance. And the title for chapter two, God Wants You to Feel Sure. You are tuned in to Scripture Matters. This is Scripture Matters, a podcast of the Waters Road Church of Christ. Waters Road Church of Christ is located at 3616 Waters Road in Pasadena, Texas. We'd love to have you join us sometime. If you need more information about our congregation, check us out at wrcofc.org on the web or email us at office at WRCOFC.org. Again, you've tuned in to Scripture Matters. All right, once again, we welcome you here to episode three of Scripture Matters. I am Jonathan Stanford, pulpit minister for the Waters Road Church of Christ in Pasita, Texas, and I am joined by one of our shepherds, Cliff Thompson. Cliff, so glad to have you on board for another episode of Scripture Matters.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Yes, sir. And you know, Jonathan, Wilkie does such a great job with chapter two, and I just love his analogies that he uses in these sections. So I am very much excited to discuss this chapter with you today.

Moving Past “I Hope So”

SPEAKER_01 3:25

All right, that's right. Chapter two. If you were with us over our first two episodes, in episode one, we cover the introduction of this fine book. And then in episode two, uh, we looked at chapter one. So again, chapter two, our subject for episode three of Scripture Matters. And before we get into the heart of the episode, something that we would like to do here as we get underway is remind you to please help us out. You know, listen, there's this thing called a YouTube algorithm or a Facebook algorithm or Apple Podcast algorithm. And you can help us by simply clicking right now that like and subscribe button that you find, whether YouTube or Facebook, hit that like and subscribe button. That allows whether it's YouTube or Facebook to know that you're interested in viewing what we have to offer and share that with others. So please do us a big favor and hit that like button and subscribe button, Cliff. We love it whenever we look down and see that we have new subscribers.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Yes, we do. I'd like to have a lot of them more, and I'm hoping to have more. Thank you, Jonathan.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Absolutely. All right, let's get now to the heart of the matter. And again, we are looking at chapter two of Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, A Christian Assurance. And the title for this chapter, once again, is God Wants You to Feel Sure. And Jack opens up this chapter with an analogy that is very nicely done. And it opens with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Again, that famous TV show, uh game show with hosted by Regis Philbin. Uh growing up, I remember Regis and Kathy Lee. Uh, but later on, Regis uh Philbin hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? And the brilliance of Jack uh opening this chapter with this illustration is that it captures a feeling uh that a lot of Christians know. The moment that you have to lock in your answer, when somebody puts you on the spot, whether it's in a Bible class or an individual conversation and says, Are you saved? Uh, will you spend your eternity in heaven? When you have to lock in that final answer, the uncertainty spikes. Your heart rate will begin to rise.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Yeah, Jonathan. I can remember whenever Regis would lean in forward and kind of ask the contestants, is that your final answer? You know, and for those startup questions, they used to be pretty easy. Like, what's the tallest monument on the National Mall? And, you know, the contestant would respond, the Washington monument, final answer without hesitation and full assurance. But let the question start getting harder and harder, and especially if they're out of lifelines, you could just see, Jonathan, that confidence just draining completely out of them.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Oh, absolutely. You're exactly right. I mean, you you you hear that contestant who just a few moments earlier, uh, whether it was an easier question or even this same question, like they sounded so certain like a moment earlier. But when you when you say it, is that your final answer? No undo, no revision, suddenly you see the little beads of sweat start rolling down uh their face. So uh whether they're have a lifeline or not, man, it's they start uh replaying the question. Did I misread something? Did I miss a detail? All that is running through their mind as they try to make sure that their answer is correct, Cliff.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

And and Wilkie says that for many Christians, you know, Jonathan, salvation sounds like one of those, is that your final answer top questions? But instead of answering with assurance, uh, folks, sometimes those answers are just shrouded in doubt.

Final Answer And Partial Peace

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Yeah. And so then what happens when we're put on the spot like that? We'll say things like, Well, I believe, I think I'm saved. And again, those answers feel acceptable. Uh, you've heard them, I've heard them in Bible classes, in one-on-one conversations. But if somebody presses in on us and says, No, I want to know what your final answer truly is, uh, it rattles us many times to our very core. And that moment, Cliff, I think really reveals whether we think God intends for us to truly know about our salvation.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

And the uncomfortable part, Jonathan, is that I'm afraid for some Christians, you know, they think uncertainty is nothing more than a Christian value.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Yeah, like it's the a nice virtue to have a little bit of doubt in your heart about whether or not you were truly saved. And yet the problem is, Clift, we've confused humility with hesitation. Again, think about it, folks. We we have confused humility with hesitation. In other words, we've been trained to think that a confident yes can only come from a heart of pride. So we just choose the safer phrase, like I hope so, or I think so.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

But let's be very clear here for a moment, Jonathan. Certainty is not arrogance, if, and there's that huge, huge word that we've talked about before, if the certainty is centered in Christ Jesus, where the where it becomes arrogance is when that certainty is centered into yourself.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Yeah, you know, we we ended uh our second episode talking about the fact that uh you worship what you truly believe in, whether it's God or yourself. And you're exactly right, Cliff. If I say I am saved, and what I mean by that phrase, I am saved, is oh, well, I'm just better than everybody else. That's how I know I'm saved, then folks, that's pride. But listen, if you say with confidence, I am saved, and what you really mean by that is that I'm confident that Jesus is an all-sufficient savior, that no matter how sin scarred my life has been, that the blood of Jesus is all sufficient, um, that's not pride, that's praise, that's worship.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

So the actual question, Jonathan, becomes are you confident or are you arrogant in that statement?

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Yeah, what are you really confident in? Again, and let's slow down here because I have heard this in real life. I know you have. People will often say, Jonathan, I just don't want to sound arrogant. But underneath that is a shrouded fear. What if God doesn't end up accepting me?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

And Jonathan, you know this, and I know this, but we need to make sure that everyone out there listening to this podcast knows this as well. Those two are not the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

No, they're not at all. And and sometimes refusing to claim assurance isn't humility. We just have a bit of suspicion. Suspicion, as if we're saying, God, I hear your promise, but I'm not sure that you are going to end up honoring it for me.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

And that's a hard thought, Jonathan, but it really helps explain why that Wilkie begins with, is that your final answer concept in this particular section?

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah, it really is. And think about it this way with us, folks. God did not send his only begotten son, Jesus, so that we could live our lives in permanent uncertainty. Listen to us. He didn't give uh all the effort to author the gospel so that we could walk around just living on a maybe for 40 or 50 years of our life. That's just not the way he intended it.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

No, and the illustration shows something else too, Jonathan. And folks, this is so very important point to see. On Millionaire, if you remember, if you weren't sure, well, you could just take your winnings and walk away with what you had.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Yeah, and what we call that is partial winnings. When there's a million dollars on the line and you only take a hundred thousand or anything less than a million, that's partial winnings. And listen, salvation doesn't offer partial peace. You don't live your life with a partial belief in God's ability to save you for an eternity. Uh, you're not a little bit saved. No, if you are in a true relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ, and that blood is cleansing you, you're in a relationship that God has established and he will maintain.

Covenant Over Fragile Faith

SPEAKER_00 12:37

So if you haven't figured it out yet on your own, folks, by reading chapter two, and I sure hope that you have purchased the book and that you are reading along with Jonathan and and and I. But let Jonathan and I tell you, folks, that Jack Wilkie here is pushing Christians away from that game show type mentality and that mindset and towards a more covenant type of a mindset.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Yeah, that's what a beautiful word. Uh I thank you so much for bringing up the idea of covenant. Because here's the thing, folks, if you believe that your relationship with God is so fragile that it is constantly breaking, you're going to constantly live on the defensive. That's just a fact. But if you believe that your relationship with God is real and that God is faithful to keep his promises, remember the same promises he made to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob, he makes promises to you. And if he is faithful to them to keep those promises, and you believe that he's faithful to keep those promises to you, then you're going to be an open book. You're going to be honest with God, whether it's in your worship, in your repentance, in your growth, and you're going to serve God without panic. So I hope that this first analogy of who wants to be a millionaire and the final answer and partial. I hope that you can see how Jack Wilkie was trying to communicate to us as readers how our assurance uh is something that we can hold on to dearly. And you and I have talked about this, Cliff. There are people in our classes uh that we uh teach, there are people that we associate with in the Lord's church that are struggling with this idea of giving a final answer. So any other thoughts here on segment one before we move on to segment two?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

No, just the point of trying to move away from that game show type mentality and having that covenant relationship with each other between us and God. That's exactly what he wants, and that should be what we should want as well, Jonathan.

Assurance In 1 John 5:13

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yeah, I think we really need to do a better job uh of helping people to understand that they are truly in a covenant relationship with God and He is faithful. Even if we're not always faithful, God is faithful. All right, that's segment one. Now, in segment two, again, God wants you to be sure. Let's talk about how we find assurance in scripture. We'll start out with the New Testament, and then we'll talk about some Old Testament scripture. So again, Wilkie now moves from the illustration uh and then uh latches on to the idea of scripture. And he starts with a verse that feels like it was written for this exact struggle, Cliff. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13. So if you are out there and watching this podcast or listening and you have your Bible or your Bible app, turn with us now to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13. I'm gonna read it slowly for you out of the English Standard Version of the Scripture. John writes this I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. That's a big word there, Cliff.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Yeah, I know. I was thinking about that, Jonathan. It is so interesting that that word know, you know, in this particular verse, it doesn't leave you too much wiggle room there, does it, brother?

SPEAKER_01 16:26

It's like a pair of vice scripts, it holds all tight. That you may know that you have eternal life. Um, John says that the purpose of his writing is that believers may know. K N O W. So if I say I just can't know in this life whether I'm truly saved, I have to wait until the day of judgment. If that's what you say, listen, you're not just disagreeing with uh Jonathan or Cliff's interpretation of scripture. No, in this case, you are disagreeing with the very word of God. Remember, it's God who inspired John to write these words and to say, I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life, which is clearly John's stated purpose.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Yes, and Jonathan, I think we need to be clear here, especially because what John is not saying is that you have to be flawless. That's not what he's saying at all. He is saying that you know because God has spoken, and now you are believing it.

No Condemnation Now In Romans 8

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Listen, folks, uh, knowing isn't claiming that you are sinless. Let's say it again. Knowing isn't claiming that you are sinless. Knowing, though, is trusting in the promises of God. And we have to repeat that, I think, a lot, because a lot of Christians out there, Cliff, they hear this idea of assurance and sadly they immediately think perfection. Yes. Now, let's move ahead and connect that with another verse, okay? Uh a verse that you and I ought to be familiar with, right? Just a little. Yeah, Romans chapter 8 and verse 1. Again, we're going to look at it out of the English Standard Version, uh, a verse that so many Christians know, and they've read it, they've spoken it, but the question is, do you really believe it? What is it? There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Again, there is therefore now NOW, no NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Folks, and what Jonathan and I are kind of chuckling about is because he and I together, we taught Romans for about four years, I think, together. And but when we got to this particular chapter, Jonathan, you made a point that this word now and this particular verse here was in present tense, as as in right now. Now, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Yeah, it reminds me when I'd be outside playing and my mom would say, Come in this house right now. It meant right now, right? Uh, not maybe later, not uh only on your best day. No, that the text here clearly says, folks, listen, there is, therefore, now, that means right now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

Oh, and Jonathan, let's make this 100% clear here, folks. Folks, this is a complete declaration. This is not a wish or a wish list. I mean, this is a complete declaration that's being made here.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Yeah, but but Cliff, the issue is what happens is a believer will hear those two words, no condemnation, and within two seconds, they'll add an asterisk to it. And that asterisk will have these words attached to it. Yeah, but but what if? And that what if, wow.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Yes, and that what if list, Jonathan, really and truthfully, it never does end.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

No, you're right, Cliff. It's like what we talked about back in episode two. What if somehow I forgot a sin? Or what if a sin I didn't even recognize that I had committed a sin? What if I didn't confess it right? What if I died suddenly? What if my last thought on this earth wasn't a holy thought? Or what if I sinned and I repented, but my repentance wasn't as deep as it ought to be? I mean, we could sit around all day and night playing that what if game.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

And folks, if this is you, then unfortunately, what happens is the gospel becomes a constant self-interrogation of yourself. And that's that can tear you down real quick.

Sealed By The Spirit In Ephesians 1

SPEAKER_01 21:19

I mean, just imagine laying in the bed at night, Cliff, replaying your life uh in your mind's eye, and playing that what if game over and over. And listen, exactly what we're seeing here in Romans chapter 8 is what is meant to settle the heart. It's like the antacid for the heart. It puts the believer's confidence in Christ's finished work, not in uh the ups and downs of our emotional temperament. Uh, you know, whether one moment you feel really good, your emotional temperature is high. And the next moment you're down. It doesn't depend on that. Not at all. All right. Now, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14, also out of the English standard. Uh, let's read this together. Again, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. Paul writes this: He says, In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him. Here's the key, listen carefully. We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

And you know something, Jonathan. A seal and an earnest these are security type concepts.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

Oh, you're exactly right. And and you think about it this way it's God's pledge. Yes, God's down payment. Uh it's it's God saying, I'm committed to finishing in you what I started.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

So assurance isn't something that you manufacture by kind of talking yourself into it. I mean, folks, it's something that God provides to you by giving you his pledge. And how awesome is that?

SPEAKER_01 23:19

Yeah, you're exactly right. And then Wilkie takes it uh the natural step forward, and he points us to Acts chapter 2, because there you find the earliest gospel preaching and how it produced clarity in the minds of those who heard it. Acts chapter 2, verses 37 and 38. You have the day of Pentecost. Uh, these uh folks have heard the gospel preached. They've heard that they are guilty of crucifying the Son of God, and they cry out, brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

And Jonathan, that is as clear of a question as you can ever come up with, followed by just as clear of an answer to.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

And let me tell you what it's not. It wasn't perpetual uncertainty. No, it was clarity. And once these people obeyed the gospel, okay, once they believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, they repented of the sins of life, and they put on Christ in baptism, you know what it produced? It produced worship, it produced joy, and what's amazing about Acts chapter two, at the very end of the chapter, you see it produce community.

Clarity At Pentecost In Acts 2

SPEAKER_00 24:50

So I guess what you're saying, Jonathan, is that if the gospel starts with clarity, it should also produce that same clarity, then, right?

SPEAKER_01 25:02

You're exactly right. But there's always a but here. Yeah, yeah. I think Wilkie's very smart in the way he uh produces this chapter because he realizes, like the apostle Paul often did, you're going to have somebody object, right? So he anticipates an objection. Somebody might say, okay, but this is just New Testament language. Uh, but he says, no, he tells us, and I agree, that God has always been the same God.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

So to prove that, Jonathan, Wilkie takes us all the way back to Abraham.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Yeah, you go back to Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6, a verse that uh for me over the last uh couple of years, as we've taught Genesis on Sunday mornings, very familiar. Genesis 15, 6. And he, Abraham, believed the Lord, and he, God, counted it to him as righteousness. Here it is, folks. God counted it, God credited it, and God declared it.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

And Jonathan, this is so clear that it shows that Abraham's assurance was rooted in God's action. As you said, God counted it, God credited it, and God did it, declared it. Those are God's action, not on his own.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

That's right. Uh and then you move into the Psalms, right? And such beautiful uh wording, such beautiful literature, and the most famous of which I would say probably is Psalm 23, where the tone it really matters. Uh, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Uh, yea, though I walk the valley, the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. And it goes on to say, and I'll dwell in the house of the Lord how long? Forever, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:00

And you know, it really doesn't sound like David is guessing here either, does he?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

No, and this is this is huge, folks. Where was his confidence? Where did he find his confidence? His confidence is in the shepherd, not in his flawless record. And then uh another passage, uh Cliff that jumps out at me, uh, take 23 and reverse it, go to 32. Psalm 32 talks about the relief of forgiveness, and it's very explicitly put here. Psalm 32 talks about blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Uh, psalmist goes on to say, I acknowledged my sin, and you forgave the iniquity of my sins. So uh the psalmist says, I repented, I acknowledged that I sinned, I messed up, and you, God, forgave the iniquity of my sins.

SPEAKER_00 28:02

And here he is declaring forgiveness as a reality. Uh folks, it's not a forgiveness as a maybe or forgiveness as a hopefully. No, no, no. It is it really is a forgiveness as a reality.

Assurance In Abraham And The Psalms

SPEAKER_01 28:19

And I hope people that are listening to this, Cliff, can see uh this just journey that uh Jack Wilkie is taking us here through the Old Testament scripture now because we we move on to Exodus chapter 34. Uh, because this is a time in the Old Testament where God really reveals himself in scripture. He describes himself. And I want people out there to listen uh as to how God describes himself. Exodus chapter 34, verses six and seven. Uh it says, The Lord, the Lord God, here it is, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. And it goes on to say, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

So, Jonathan, what you have is basically God's self-definition. You have mercy first, you have grace early, and then you have patience that's named.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

That's right. I mean, think about it in that order. Mercy first, right? While we were dead in our trespasses at the right time, Christ died for us, right? Mercy first, grace early and often, and then patience is named. God is so patient and long-suffering with us. That's how God describes himself. And so you think about it. Uh a Christian out there who assumes that God is just sitting up there and he is eager to condemn somebody. Think about that, folks. If that's the way you describe God, then you're describing God in a way that he doesn't describe himself.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

No, and it leads Wilkie to even to ask a deeper top question, Jonathan. Is God unclear? Or have we misseen God?

SPEAKER_01 30:25

No, Cliff, you're so right. And this section, I think you and I we've talked about this. This isn't just let's collect a bunch of verses and throw them together. This is not a word salad. This is God. If you have any doubt, this is God rebuilding our picture of him with his own words. Uh, anything else in segment two that uh jumped out at you, Cliff? Are you ready to move on to segment three?

SPEAKER_00 30:52

This is a powerful segment, but I think we got something else waiting for us.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

So we certainly do.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

So this is kind of like the turn in the chapter. You know, this part of it is why I hope so feel safer than trust. And and Jonathan Wilkie asked to start off a very interesting question here, and he and he says, Can you let God be God? Wow.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

Wow, I mean, meaning, right? Because let's tell folks what he means by that. If you're struggling to understand what is being communicated here, is can you let scripture define God's character and his intentions? Or are you just going to keep on living your life like God is a harsh teacher that has his red ink pen out ready at a moment's notice to fail you?

SPEAKER_00 31:46

And because John, really true, many people here they doubt and they feel safer that way that doubt is better than trust. And for those individuals, I guess doubt kind of gives them a feeling of being responsible for their actions.

God’s Self-Definition In Exodus 34

SPEAKER_01 32:03

Yes, because here's the thing: doubt makes you feel guarded. Yes. Uh, doubt keeps you feeling as if you're in control. If I'm always uncertain, then what am I doing? In a relationship with God, if I'm always uncertain, then I'm always checking, I'm always monitoring, I'm always measuring, it just feels like you you keep God at an arm's length. You you treat him with caution.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

But but Jonathan, let's make a point here. By doing that, it can be a way of refusing an individual to rest too.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

Yeah, rest in God's promises. Scripture invites us to rest. I'm not talking about laziness, folks. Listen, uh, but rest in the faithfulness of God, rest in God's promises, rest in God's character, that he is who he says he is, and that he loves you the way he says that he loves you.

SPEAKER_00 33:03

And here's something that we hope everyone who's a part of this podcast will remember. Folks, assurance does not make repentance harder. Listen to me, assurance makes repentance possible.

SPEAKER_01 33:19

Yeah. Uh if I walk around every day thinking every failure means I might be condemned. It's almost like we become like Adam and Eve in the garden once again. We hide. But if I believe God is truly merciful and gracious, then again, I'm going to be willing to confess my sins openly before the Father. That means I'm going to be willing to repent of my sins and grow beyond my failures.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

And Jonathan Wilkie says something that I believe to be very, very interesting in this particular section. He says, and listen to these words. He, meaning God, created man because he, that's God, wanted image bearers with whom he could have a relationship with. You know, think about that for just a second. He loves you so much, he wants our relationship to be such that we bear his image in us. Now, you can't do that without having a close personal relationship with him. So, Jonathan, I really do see Wilkie striving so hard to convince people to move from this fear-based Christianity to that relationship-based Christianity that I think God wants so dearly.

Let God Be God

SPEAKER_01 34:42

Oh, I would love to see our churches filled with people who truly believed that they had a real, trusting relationship with God. That's very much like you think about how a father, Cliff, a father wants his children to know where they stand, not live like anxious employees worried about going into work the next day and getting a pink slip. No, right. Uh, we want our our church family to feel like that that God um is truly their their heavenly father, and that he is looking for every way he can to assure them of his love and of the salvation that he made possible for them through his son Jesus Christ. All right, that concludes section three. Uh, we have one final section uh to talk about here today in our third episode, dealing with chapter two, and it's a a teacher analogy. Uh, and we'll try to land uh this plane here in this third episode. So, folks, um, I think you would agree with Cliff and I. This has been an incredible chapter so far. But as Wilkie closes the chapter, as I said, he does so with a teacher analogy. And I hope that you've read this, folks. Please, please, please take the time to read these chapters, refresh them, even go back and read them once again after these episodes. I promise you, it'll open your eyes to some things you may not have seen. Um, so the three teachers that are described here, okay? You have a harsh teacher, an indifferent teacher, and a helpful teacher. Now, which uh picture, which teacher uh comes to your mind when you think about God? See, many Christians unfortunately picture God as harsh or indifferent when it's obvious that scripture paints him as a father and as a shepherd, Cliff, that wants his people to learn and grow.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

And yes, Jonathan, unfortunately, false confidence does exist. And you know, Jesus warned us about that too, Jonathan.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Yeah, but uh, I think it's important. Notice who Jesus warned, right? Yes, very much so. He he warned the comfortable, the self-righteous, the ones that, as we described earlier in this episode, are trusting or worshiping in themselves, right? Not once in the gospel accounts of Jesus' life here on this earth do we ever see him rebuking penitent people for wanting assurance?

SPEAKER_00 37:27

So we can say two things here at once, Jonathan, to be honest with you. One, discipleship matters, and two, assurance matters as well.

Assurance Makes Repentance Possible

SPEAKER_01 37:39

Yeah, Cliff, because here's the big reality of this chapter. Assurance fuels holiness. When you know that you're loved, then the natural outgrowth is going to be that you're going to want to grow. But when you think love is fragile, you become that pendulum principle we talked about. You're either proud or you're crushed. You're either arrogant or you're depressed. And that's, I mean, we talked about it in last week's episode. Like I remember going into people's houses as a kid, and my mom would say, Don't touch nothing, because there was fine china and things that I might knock off the table. Um, God does not expect us to walk around like every part of our relationship with him is fragile.

SPEAKER_00 38:31

No, and folks, that brings us full circle now. Above all, there again, please remember, God wants you to be sure of your salvation.

SPEAKER_01 38:45

And again, folks, as we close out this episode, where is this assurance found? It's not found in yourself, right? But it's found uh in him. You are sure in him. And if you've been living with a I hope so or I think so mentality about your salvation, Jack Wilkie, Jonathan Sanford, Cliff Thompson, we're all inviting you to trust in God's promises and trust in God's character to go from again, I hope to I know. Uh all right, Cliff. Uh, we've said a lot, but any final thoughts here from chapter two as we tie a bow on this one?

SPEAKER_00 39:29

You know, Jonathan, I I really believe that God could care less if if you or I or anybody else win a million dollars or not, to be honest with you. Yeah. But what he really wants is for us to be sure of our salvation, not because of how good we are, but because, as you stated earlier, Jonathan, Jesus is a sufficient savior. In other words, it is in Jesus Christ and us walking in his light that we can be sure of our salvation.

SPEAKER_01 40:06

Oh, you're so right, Cliff. Uh, as we close up shop, I think it's a good time to remind everybody out there to keep reading. If they have not read chapter three, that's where we'll be going at and our next episode here of Scripture Matters. And the title, uh, spoilers, what a title for the next chapter. It is titled Grasping the Depth of Our Sin. So what a journey that Jack is taking on. We're building up that assurance, but then smart, smart choice here that in the next chapter we are reminded of the depth of our sinfulness. And we're going to see uh what a blessing it is to know that the blood of Christ is truly cleansing us of all sin. So we'll deal with that uh in uh episode four. Is that right? Episode four of Scripture Matter.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

Yes, sir.

Harsh, Indifferent, Or Helpful Teacher?

SPEAKER_01 41:04

All right. Well, we're starting to build them up, get that. Uh before we close up here, love your mind, everybody. Please, please do us a big favor if you haven't done so already. Hit that like and subscribe button. Helps us out to spread the word about what we are trying to do here with Scripture Matters. We want everyone to be a part of this podcast, whether you're a member at Waters Road, uh member of the body of Christ somewhere around this entire world, or you're not a Christian yet, but you'd like to know more about God, about his son Jesus Christ, and how you can have a real relationship with him. We'd love to share more and more of the message of Jesus Christ with you. Uh, but as we close up here today, uh, thank you so much for spending a little bit of your time with Cliff and I here as we are continuing this review of a fantastic book by our brother Jack Wilkie called You Are Saved, a Christian Assurance. And we hope that you'll join us next time uh as we continue more of the review of this fantastic uh book. I'll let you close them out.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

No, Jonathan, I just it seemed like one, it gets better than better and better. I can't wait the next time to be with you, brother.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

It's gonna be fun. We're gonna have a lot of fun. And I hope you'll join us next time, right here on Scripture Matters.