Make sure you are honest with yourself

Assurance brings confidence. Jesus is our only hope. God has made a way, his light shines and dispels the darkness, brings clarity to the way, the truth and the life.

Seven tests whether or not you know Jesus 

1. How do I know? Saved people listen to the words of the apostles. Can a person believe in Jesus but not the Bible? No.

2. Saved people live like saved people. Consistency not perfection. What we believe and how we live matters. Lifestyle confirms my confession. 

3. Saved people accepts the truth about themselves. Saved people agree with God, all of his assessments. 

4. Saved people confess their sins and depend on Christ for forgiveness.  Confession of sin in the door to salvation.  Confession after salvation reveals salvation and God's grace.  Confession is the tangible step that we take in agreeing with God. Hope follows confession. Our confession welcomes the cleansing of God.

5. Saved people never call God a liar with their lives or their words.

6. Saved people stay away from sin. Struggling against sin, not comfortable with "living with sin"

7. Saved people, when they sin trust in Jesus for forgiveness. The hope of the Gospel is broken people can be restored. 

Application: be honest with yourself and God. Come clean.  Psalm 51:7. 

John 1:4,8:12. Now 1 John 1:4

God is light...we start with God. Nothing can live without God. 

 - light gives life

 - exposes and reveals things we may not have seen before 

 - light reveals what is true, no darkness (no untruths) - righteous, pure, holy. 

Life of sin is dishonest when our words claim fellowship with God

Lying if fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 1 John 1:6 NLT

Claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 1 John 1:8 NLT

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 NLT

Jesus is our advocate 1John 2:1

Jesus is truly righteous 1 John 2:1

Jesus is the sacrifice, atoned for our sin and everyone who sins against us. 1 John 2:2

1. God

2. Our sin

 - we either confess or argue we aren't sinners