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Confidence and Trust Concerning the Kingdom of God

Confidence and Trust Concerning the Kingdom of God. Should the believer trust that he will attain the kingdom?. The answer to this question has two aspects: Trust in God Trusting my own will. We should have unlimited trust in God.

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Confidence and Trust Concerning the Kingdom of God

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  1. Confidence and Trust Concerning the Kingdom of God

  2. Should the believer trust that he will attain the kingdom? • The answer to this question has two aspects: • Trust in God • Trusting my own will

  3. We should have unlimited trust in God • God is unlimited in His mercy, His compassion, His forgiveness, and His love. • He has no pleasure at all that the wicked should die but that he should turn from his ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11 • The atonement of His Blood is unlimited, and sufficient for the remission of the sins of the whole world. • His promises are abundant and true, opening the doors of hope wide before the penitents.

  4. We should not trust our own will • Those who lose salvation, lose it not because God is not able to save them, but because their own will deviates towards evil. • We should admit, within us, that we are sinners and that our sins can very possibly lead us to perdition. • A person who says, “I trust I shall attain the kingdom” seems as if he is saying, “I am sure I will not sin, and even though I sin, I am sure I will repent and my repentance will be true and acceptable”

  5. We should not trust our own will • We should listen to the warning of St. Paul the apostle when he says, “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” 1 Corinthians 10:12 • We are not stronger than those who fell before

  6. ARE YOU SAVED?

  7. The answer should be … • Yes, I am already saved – through Baptism- from the original sin, inherited from Adam. This first salvation is attained through the atoning and redeeming power of the Blood of the Lord Christ • As for my final salvation, it should be attained when we put off the flesh … we are still in a war: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but … against spiritual hosts of wickedness” Ephesians 6:12

  8. The answer should be … • We sin everyday, and since the wages of sin is death, we are subject to death everyday • We need the Blood of Christ everyday to cleans us of every sin • Therefore, we have to repent, confess our sins and partake of the Lord’s Flesh and Blood for the remission of our sins

  9. The certainty of St. Paul • “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” Hebrews 10:19 • “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” 2 Timothy 4:8 • “… I know whom I believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” 2 Timothy 1:12 • “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6

  10. We understand the certainty of St. Paul in view of the following

  11. 1. Having boldness to enter the Holiest … • Reading the full passage says, “ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us also hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” Hebrews 10:19-24

  12. 1. Having boldness to enter the Holiest …cont. • He continues saying, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries... It is fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” Hebrews 10: 26-31 • Then he concludes, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” Hebrews 10:35-36

  13. 2. The certainty of St. Paul and his crown • To understand this point, we have to remember the following: • Who is St. Paul? • When did he says these words? • What is the meaning of “laid up for me the crown of righteousness”? • What else did St. Paul say in the same epistle?

  14. a. Who is St. Paul? • He is the one who said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” Galatians 2:20 • He also said “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38-39 • He is the apostle who was caught up to the third heaven and saw things that he could not utter

  15. b. When did he say these words? • He said them in his last days, for the words directly preceding them were, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” 2 Timothy 4:6 • It is not something impossible for a righteous, holy person to be given by God – in his last days – confidence and hope and to be allowed to see the crown awaiting him

  16. c. What is the meaning of “laid up for me the crown of righteousness”? • St. Paul said, “Finally there is laid for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day” 2 Timothy 4:8 • Notice that he said that the crown was laid up, but He did not say that it was given to him • The crown is laid up for the righteous, but the righteous receive it on that day • The Lord warns the angel of the church of Philadelphia saying, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” Revelation 3:11

  17. d. What else did St. Paul says in the same Epistle? • St. Paul says in the same Epistle to St. Timothy, “This is a faithful saying: if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him, if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us” 2 Timothy 2:11-12 • The words, “If we …” demonstrate that our salvation does not depend wholly on God but on us as well

  18. 3. “I am persuaded that He is able” • No doubt God is able to keep what anybody commits to Him, but what about the person himself? • God’s power is undoubted. However, God’ s power does not cancel your free will: “How often I wanted … but you were not willing” Matthew 23:37

  19. 4. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” Philippians 1:6 • Again, God is able to complete His work in us, but what about our will? • St. Paul was rebuking the Galatians saying, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh” Galatians 3:3. Here, it is they who made themselves perfect by the flesh, not giving God a chance to complete in them good works

  20. 4. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” Phil. 1:6 …cont. • To the Philippians, though St. Paul had confidence regarding them, he was instructing them saying:“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” Philippians 1:27 • Also he advised them saying, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12

  21. 5. Other related verses in the matter of CONFIDENCE • “A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident” Proverbs 14:16 • “Do not be haughty, but fear” Romans 11:20 • “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear” 1 Peter 1:17 • “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” 2 Corinthians 7:1

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