Reassured (1)

My wife, Maryanne, flew to Alabama over a week ago to be with her sister, Kay. Kay has been fighting ovarian cancer. And her body has been so weakened from the chemo, that she’s now in a hospital in intensive care fighting pneumonia. And we are deeply concerned.

But we’re confident that Kay is in a good place with God. The evidence is strong that Kay knows Christ. She prayed to receive Jesus as her Savior and Lord many years ago. And there’s proof she really knows Jesus. She helped to start a contemporary service in her United Methodist Church that is double or triple the attendance of the traditional service. She has been a speech therapist for stroke patients and Down’s Syndrome children. She put her life on hold to care for her aging father and mother – even bringing her mother into her own home for the last 6 months of her mother’s life. She has been an incredible big sister, a great sister-in-law, a generous aunt to our sons. This woman’s life oozes with the love of Christ. And that’s why even though she’s in ICU, we are reassured.

There will likely be times when you will question your faith. “Do I really know Christ? Am I truly headed to heaven?”

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him.
I John 3:19 (ESV)

And this message is to help us understand the “this.” By “what” shall we know that we are of the truth and can reassure our hearts?

It’s love. Love. If there is anyone who should have a reassured heart, its my sister-in-law, Kay.

How about you? How about me?

Remember that I John was written so we can know that we know that we have eternal life. And the book is full of tests. If you pass the tests, then you can know that you know. You can have assurance.

Gary Nave summarized the tests.

1) There is the truth test. Do I believe what the Bible says about Jesus?
2) There is the moral test. Do I practice righteousness and avoid lawlessness?
3) There is the love test. Do I love God and others?