There is not much that I know for sure. For example, I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Will I be sick or well; alive or dead? I don’t know. Will I have a safe trip to work today? Will it rain this week? I don’t know. Uncertainty, that’s what so much of life’s anxieties are all about. And now the Coronavirus has added one more layer of uncertainty to our lives. Will I get it? Have I already had it? Will I get it and not know it? Will it kill me? Fact is, in this life there is not much I know for sure. That’s good, because that uncertainty encourages us to focus on the few things that are certain. For example:
I am Certain That The Bible Is The Inspired Word of God.
I am certain of it! So certain in fact that I have based my life on it for almost fifty years. It has something to say regarding anything you may be facing. It reveals the person of God, the plan of God, and the heart of God for all people. You cannot know God apart from His Word. The Bible is timeless and is relevant throughout every generation. It is one of the key ways we understand our life’s purpose and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. What did Paul say to Timothy?
“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
II Timothy 3:14-17
Just like Paul, I know for sure the Bible is the perfect Word of God. There is more physical evidence for the Bible than any other ancient manuscript. More original, ancient manuscripts have been found of the Bible than for any other writing. There are over 5,800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts that have been catalogued and 10,000 Latin manuscripts plus 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages. Few people would argue or doubt that Plato really wrote the works ascribed to him, and yet the Bible is far more authenticated than the works of Plato.
Though the Bible was written over the course of many centuries, and though it was written by 40 authors, the messages contained on its pages are coherent and consistent. 40 authors tell the same story. The Bible is one, continuous story because although men wrote it down, it was the Holy Spirit who authored every word. That is why it has incredible continuity.
Archaeologists have confirmed that the Bible is an accurate retelling of history. Excavations of the city of Jericho reveal that the walls did in fact fall as the Bible claims. Other historical books, non-sacred writings, also corroborate what the Bible has to say. There have been some Bible passages which critics once called a myth, but through archaeological digs and discovery, it has been revealed that the Bible told the right story all along.
The Bible is also a self-authenticating book. If you read it with the intent to hear from God, the Holy Spirit will speak to you and confirm that it can be trusted.
Another great determination of the Bible’s claim to absolute inspired truth is in its supernatural ability to predict future events. Numerous prophecies have been fulfilled over the years. Whether you speak of the regathering of Israel to the predictions of end time events, all point to the validity of the Bible. For example, consider the well over 200 prophecies about the first coming of Christ. Each one was fulfilled. Jesus, as a mere man would have had no control over many of the prophecies such as His birthplace or time of birth. How could anyone doubt the Word of God? I am living certain that the Bible is the inherent and inspired Word of God.
I am Certain That Nothing Can Separate Me From The Love of God.
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39
Paul was convinced that there was nothing that could come between him and the love of God. Why? Because there is nothing more powerful than the love of God. Love is God’s most powerful attribute!!
Sometimes, when life is hard, when prayers aren’t answered the way we want them to be answered or in the way that would seem consistent with a loving God, Satan wants to tempt us to doubt God’s love. No one was probably more consistently persecuted than the Apostle Paul. He had it hard, not just because he was a human, but because he was a follower of Christ. Whenever he faced beating, stoning, imprisonment, or shipwreck, he didn’t question, “Does God love me?” Are you faced with a present circumstance that has caused you to doubt God’s love for you? God sends you the message that nothing can separate you from His love.
Satan cannot separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. No political power can separate me from the love of God. No sickness can separate me from the love of God. No cultural shift can separate me from the love of God. No external pressure can separate me from the love of God. No disappointment or drama can separate me from the love of God. No suffering I endure will eclipse God’s love for me. It goes deeper than any pain. It runs higher than any mountain I will face. It is stronger than any force I will come up against. I am living certain today that God loves me.
I am Certain That God Will and Can Keep All Of His Promises.
“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Romans 4:18-21
Abraham was fully convinced that even though he and Sarah had never had a son and even though they were well stricken with age, that he and Sarah would have a son and that from that son would be born a great and blessed nation. Abraham knew God had all power. Therefore, if God has all power, then God can do anything. All power trumps no power. All power trumps some power. All power trumps a lot of power. We serve the God of the impossible because we serve the God of all-power.
I am Certain Of Who God Is.
“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
II Timothy 1:12
Notice how Paul begins this verse. He doesn’t start with “what” he knows, but with “who” he knows. It is important to know what we know, but it’s far more important to know in whom we have believed. Anchor your convictions in the person of Christ who can never fail. He is the only way to know that one day when this life ends, you have chosen to believe in the only One who knows the way out of this life and into Heaven.
Many people know what they believe, but they have no relationship with Jesus Christ. Your beliefs won’t take you anywhere if they aren’t anchored to Jesus. Paul knew he wasn’t able to keep himself safe and to take himself from this life to the next, but he knew God could and would. Paul gave Jesus everything that was once important to him. He deposited his life into Christ’s hands, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would yield a great return. He knew it was the life with the greatest benefits. He knew there would come “a day” when either he would go to Jesus or Jesus would come for him. Until that day came, Paul was living certain that whatever he would surrender to Jesus would be safe in His hands.
I also know that our God can keep whatever we entrust to Him. When we pray and share the longings of our hearts, when we dream and ask for God’s desires and blessing, when we dedicate our children and marriages to Him, when we surrender our gifts and talents to Him to use—all of these are rightly placed within the capable hands of our loving God.
Are you living certain? Living certain brings me great peace. I don’t have to wonder if I am loved, if I have a purpose for life, or if Heaven awaits. Living certain keeps me in a state of hope because it keeps me connected to the Person of Jesus Christ. Living certain puts me in a state of expectation which adds excitement to my life. Living certain gives me a positive track to run on. Living certain helps me be spiritually, relationally, and emotionally stable because living certain keeps me from ever having to panic. Living certain provides a legitimate testimony to others around me that God is real and that He will do what He has promised. If I am not living certain, how can I convince anyone else of who God is?
What do you know for sure today? If you’ll be honest, not much! But, that’s good, because it allows us to focus on the few things we can be certain of. But, if you are not certain over the few things that are certain, then by default, you can’t be certain of anything. Sadly, that’s where most folks are this morning. Do you know the One, the only One that can bring certainty to life? If not, I would remind you that receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior would be the greatest decision you will ever make.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.