Lesson 3:

A new confidence - Saved and sure

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

It is absolutely essential to teach children and especially Christian children - concerning the
assurance of salvation.
What is assurance of salvation?
Assurance of salvation means that the believer in Jesus Christ knows, and is sure of, two facts:
He is sure that he is saved, a child of God, and that he has eternal life.
He is sure that he will always be saved, always a child of God and always in possession
of eternal life not only now but throughout all time and eternity.
If the saved child doesnt have assurance of salvation he may become a weak, struggling
Christian. Or if he loses that assurance he loses, at the same time, much of the joy, peace and
security which God wants him to have.
In addition, a Christian child who does not have assurance may have constant worries about
the future:-
Will I lose my salvation if I sin?
What will happen to me when I die?
How can you help the believing child to have assurance of salvation?
The main reason for a child not having assurance of salvation (although it is not the only one)
is because he has not been told that he can have it, and has not been taught, or shown, how to
have it.
So this places a great responsibility on you, as his teacher, to explain to him how he can know
he is saved.
You should not try to give the child assurance of salvation. Nor should you try to persuade a
child who has doubts concerning his salvation that he is a Christian. He may not be, and the
reason he has doubts may be because he has never trusted Christ in the first place.
It is your responsibility to show the child how he can have assurance and how he can know he
is a Christian, and you then need to encourage him to come to his own conclusions.
It is, of course, obvious that you yourself, as the childrens teacher, need to have assurance of
salvation:
Are you sure that you are saved and have eternal life?
Are you sure that you will always be saved?
If your answer to either or both of these questions is No, then be sure to read and study the
next section which starts below.
How can a believing child know he is saved?
There are three ways that a child, or any person, who has trusted Christ can know, for sure,
that he is a Christian.
Through the Word of God
The child who has trusted Christ as his or her Saviour can know that he or she is saved
and has eternal life, because God has said so in the Bible.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1
John 5 v12).
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son
of God (1 John 5 v13).
Eternal life is life which will never finish. It cannot therefore be lost. If a believer could lose
that life then it would not have been eternal life and Gods promise would be broken.
God has given many promises in the Bible so that we can know for sure what happens when
we turn from sin and trust Jesus Christ.
So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16 v31).
For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved (Romans 10 v13).
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those
who believe in His name (John 1 v12).
 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts 3 v19).
God always keeps His promises. So if the child has done what God, in the Bible, has told
him to do (trust/call/receive/repent) then God promises that he is saved/he is a child of
God/his sins are blotted out. So you encourage the child to depend upon, and believe, the
promises of God. He should not believe, or depend on, what others might say or what you
say, or even what his own feelings may indicate.

Through a changed life

The Bible says that a person can know he is saved because he can seea change in his life,
and because he can see that he is a new person or creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,
all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5 v17).
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (1 John 2 v3).
This does not mean that he will never sin again. But it does mean that there is a new
direction in his life, and that evidences of his new life will show themselves - even if
slowly.
When he sees some change, no matter how small or how slow it may be, this will help him
to know that he is saved.
If there is no change whatsoever in a childs life it is probable that he is not saved.

Through the witness of the Spirit

As the child understands what God has promised in His Word, and as he sees some
change in his life, the Holy Spirit gives him the assurance that he is a child of God, and
that the Lord Jesus lives in him through the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8 v16).
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying
out, Abba, Father! (Galatians 4 v6).
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit
(1 John 4 v13).
And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us (1 John 3
v24).
What are the results of assurance?
Through this witness of the Holy Spirit and the assurance which He brings, the child can come,
slowly but surely, to know a number of truths:
All his sins (past, present and future) are forgiven (Acts 13 v38-39).
He has eternal life (John 3 v16).
He is absolutely sure of Heaven (John 14 v2-3).
He cannot lose his salvation (John 10 v28).
He is a child of God (John 1 v12).
Jesus Christ lives within him through the Holy Spirit (Revelation 3 v20; 1 Corinthians 6
v19; 1 John 3 v24).
Can a believing child lack assurance of salvation?
It is possible for a child of God not to have assurance of salvation, or to lose the assurance he
had, because of:
Neglect of the Word of God.
Disobedience and/or deliberate sin.
Lack of teaching and understanding.
You need to be sure that you are not responsible for a Christian childs lack of assurance
because you have not taught him how he can be sure.

MEMORY VERSE for the children to learn:

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may
know that you have eternal life (1 John 5 v13a).
Slide 1 Title slide
Lesson

Slide 2
Colin was eleven years old. Several weeks earlier his friend Justin had invited him to come to
Sunday School with him. Do you remember Justin from an earlier lesson? He had trusted
Jesus Christ as his Saviour in Mr. Archers class.
Attending Sunday School had been a really new experience for Colin. His parents did not
attend church, and he himself had never been in a church or Sunday School before. So
everything was new and at first rather puzzling. He listened carefully to what Mr. Archer, his
teacher, was saying each week and he had many questions which the teacher tried his best to
answer.

Slide 3
One Sunday Mr. Archer told the boys the story of Paul and Silas in prison, and how the
jailer had asked them the question What must I do to be saved? Colin listened intently as his
teacher gave Pauls answer, Believe on (trust) the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved
(Acts 16 v31).
What does it mean to be saved? Colin asked immediately, Slide 3a adds Saved from
what?
Mr. Archer smiled and started to explain.
It means two things, he said. First of all it means to be saved or rescued from Gods
punishment for sin. We have all sinned against God and He will punish us. We need to be
rescued, or saved from this punishment and only Jesus Christ can do that because He died on
the cross and took our punishment for sin.
Slide 4a
Just imagine that your house is on fire and you are upstairs, cut off by the flames, and you
cant get out like this child in our picture. It looks as if you will be burned to death. And then
a brave fireman goes up a ladder, pulls you out of the burning house and throwing you over
his shoulder takes you down the ladder to safety. What did he do? He saved you.
And that is a picture of what Jesus Christ does for you when you trust Him. He saves you
from the punishment you deserve for your sin.
But to be saved also means something else.
Slide 4b
Not only does Jesus Christ save or rescue us from the punishment for our sin, He rescues
or saves us from its power after we trust Him. You could think of sin like one of those great
powerful anaconda snakes which wrap themselves around a persons body and crush him to
death, as you can see in our picture. That is what sin does to you and me. It crushes us and it
controls us. If an anaconda snake was crushing you what would you like someone to do? You
would like someone strong and powerful to attack the snake and break its clutches and power
over you and if someone did that he would save you from the power of that snake.
And that is also what Jesus Christ does when you trust Him. He saves you from the power
of sin.

But could you explain to me what I would need to do to be saved in this way? asked
Colin.
Well, the answer is in todays Bible story replied Mr. Archer, Paul told the jailer to
trust the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved by faith.
 Yes, I remember that said Colin, But what does it mean to trust Jesus Christ to be
saved by faith? Does it just mean to believe that Jesus Christ died for me? Because I believe
that already.
No, replied Mr. Archer, It means more than that. Let me tell you a story.

Slide 5
A number of years ago a man called Blondin was a famous tightrope walker. Do you know
what that means? On one occasion he planned to do something very special and very
dangerous. He said that he would walk across a tightrope suspended over the great Niagara
Falls in Canada where many thousands of tons of water pour over every minute and tumble to
the depths below and that he would do so blind-folded. The big day came and large crowds
gathered to watch. As he walked on the tightrope over the great Falls everyone held their
breath. But he did it as you can see in our picture!
And then he said that he was going to push a wheelbarrow on the tight rope from one
side of the Falls to the other. Impossible, everyone said. But he did it!
And then he said that he could even push a wheelbarrow with a man in it over the Falls on
the tightrope. He looked at a man who was standing there and he asked him the question, Do
you believe I could do this?
I believe that you could the man replied, I have no doubts.
Then jump in the wheelbarrow, said Blondin, And I will take you across.
Are you joking? Not a chance, said the man and he would not go.
In other words he did not really trust Blondin.
Another man standing close by volunteered and got into the wheelbarrow and Blondin
pushed him safely to the other side of the Falls.
Let me ask you a question. Which of these two men trusted Blondin? The one who said
that he believed he could do it, but refused to get into the wheelbarrow; or the one who got in
the wheelbarrow? It was the second one who had faith in Blondin.
Slide 5a adds the text
So if you want to be saved, Colin, you need to get in the wheelbarrow. You need to have
faith in Jesus Christ. You need to tell Jesus Christ that you trust Him, and that you are
depending on Him to save you. You can then be sure that He will.
Are you like Colin? Have you been asking questions about being saved? Have you trusted
Him as your Saviour? You can do so today. You can do so now! But if you are still not sure
what you need to do I would be glad to speak with you after the meeting is over and show you
what the Lord Jesus wants you to do. Just remain seated when the others leave and if I see
you sitting there I will come and speak with you.

When Colin went home that Sunday he was quiet and thoughtful. After he had eaten his
dinner he went to his bedroom, shut the door, and knelt down beside his bed and prayed.
Dear Lord Jesus, he prayed, I dont know very much about You, but I know that You
died for me. I want You to save me now from the punishment for my sin, and also from the
power of sin. I trust You to do this and I put myself into Your hands for ever. Amen.
The week passed by so slowly. Colin could hardly wait until next Sunday. When it came
he rushed into his class and blurted out to Mr. Archer.

Mr. Archer, Im saved. I trusted Jesus Christ last Sunday when I went home.
That is wonderful, Colin, said Mr. Archer, That is just about the best news I have ever
heard.
I have another question said Colin, a very important question. Last Sunday after I had
asked Jesus Christ to save me I told my parents what I had done, and I told them I was
saved. But my Dad looked at me and said, How do you know you are saved? I wasnt
sure how to answer him. I told him that you had told me I would be saved if I trusted the
Lord Jesus. But he just grunted and said, How does he know? What should I have said?
How can I know for sure that I am saved?
Slide 6
Thats a good question, Colin, replied Mr. Archer and I think the best way I can answer
it is by taking it as our subject for the next two or three Sunday School classes. Because in
that way I can really take time to answer your question.
But let me just give you a quick answer now which will help you, and which you can also
share with your Dad.
You can know for sure that you are saved not because I said it, or because you felt it
but because God promised it in the Bible. The Bible says (and this is God speaking) Believe
on (trust) the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16 v31). That is a promise. That
is a promise from God and you can depend on it. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus (and I
believe you have) God says you are saved and you can believe Him.

One week later in Sunday School Mr. Archer was teaching the Bible lesson, and he wanted
to show his boys how they could know and be sure that they were saved if they had trusted
Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
The Bible tells us a story about something which happened one dark night in Egypt many
years ago. Gods people, the Israelites, were slaves of the Egyptians; and God had told them
He was going to free them from slavery and take them out of Egypt.
Slide 7
On the fourteenth day of the month, God told them that He wanted each family to kill a
little lamb and put its blood on the door posts of their house. God said at midnight the angel
of death would come through the land of Egypt to punish the Egyptians for their sin but He
would not punish those who had put the blood on their door posts.
He gave them a promise When I see the blood I will pass over you (Exodus 12 v13). And
God always keeps His promises.
Slide 7a adds text
Try to imagine two of those families in their homes. Both families had done what God had
said, putting the blood on their door posts, as you can see in our picture. But one family was
nervous and fearful even though they had obeyed God. They were safe (because of the blood
on their door posts) but they were not sure. They did not really believe what God had said and
had doubts about what would happen. They were safe alright but they were not happy.
In the second home the whole family were happy and contented because they believed
Gods Word. They said, We know that the angel of death will come but we have put the
blood on our door posts and we are not afraid. Why should we be? God has given us His
promise, When I see the blood I will pass over you. And we believe Him. He cannot tell lies.
We are safe, we are sure and we are happy. It is the blood of Christ that makes us safe and
the Word of God that makes us sure we are safe.
And so, boys, if you have trusted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, God says you are saved. It is
possible to have doubts and be unhappy like the first household, but you will still be saved.
However, you can also be like the second household who believed God and knew He could
not lie. You need to believe God. You can know and be sure you are saved if you have trusted
the Lord Jesus because God has said so. He always keeps His promises and by believing Him
you can be happy and secure.

Slide 8
It was the following Sunday. Mr. Archer was still teaching his boys how they could know
they were saved.
Do you know why the Bible was written, and why God has given us this wonderful book?
There are many answers to that question. But here is one of them, and this answer is given in
the Bible itself. There is a verse written by the apostle John concerning what he and others
have written in the Bible and it is the verse we have already learned today:
Slide 8a adds the memory verse
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you
may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5 v13).
God wants believers to KNOW and be SURE that they are saved and have eternal life, and
that is one reason why He has given us this book, the Bible.
In the Bible you will find this word KNOW over and over again. I know; we know; you
can know. God doesnt want us to be nervous, doubtful or unsure. He wants us to be SURE.
He wants us to KNOW.
God speaks to us in the Bible and gives us promises which He always keeps. If you have
trusted Jesus Christ you have eternal life because God says so in the Bible. He cannot and will
not tell lies. Sometimes we break our promises. He never does. Sometimes we tell lies. He
never does. And the Bible says (1 John 5 v10) that if we dont believe Him and dont trust
Him we are calling God a liar. We dont want to do that, do we?
If He says it, it must be true.
Have you heard of Napoleon Bonaparte the French general and emperor who almost
conquered Europe 200 years ago?
One day when he was reviewing his troops the bridle of his horse slipped from his hand
and his horse galloped off, out of control. A common soldier in the ranks ran out, got hold of
the bridle and brought the horse under control.
The emperor immediately addressed him and said, Well done, Captain. As quick as a
shot the soldier replied, Of which regiment, sir? Of the Guards, the number one regiment,
answered Napoleon, pleased with how the soldier had immediately believed what he said. The
emperor rode off, the soldier threw down his musket and though he had no emblems on his
shoulders, no sword by his side and no marks of his promotion, other than the word of the
Emperor, he joined the staff of commanding officers of the Guards. They laughed at him and
asked him, What are you doing here? You are only a common soldier. Oh no, he replied, I
am a captain of the Guards. The emperor has said so and therefore I am. And he was right.
But listen, boys, Gods Word is more important, and can be trusted more than the word of
any person emperor or not.
What God says is true. If you have trusted Christ you are saved. How do you know? God
has said so in the Bible. Therefore it must be true. God wants you to be sure. He wants you to
know that you have eternal life. And our verse for today tells us that is one reason He gave us
the Bible.

Next Sunday Mr. Archer continued to show Colin and his friends how they could know,
and be sure, they were saved.
First of all he went back over what he had said the previous week.
So we know, and are sure, we are saved because God says in the Bible that those who
trust Jesus Christ have everlasting life and will never be punished for their sins (Show
previous flashcard). Listen to these words which were spoken by the Lord Jesus. Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has
everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John 5
v24).
Thats very clear isnt it? You who have trusted Jesus Christ can be sure that you are
saved, that you have eternal life right now and that you will never be judged by God for your
sin because Jesus Christ says so. Do you believe Him?

Slide 9
But there is another way you can know that you are saved. If you have trusted the Lord
Jesus as your Saviour there will be a change in your life and this change in your life will show
you and other people that you are a Christian. The Bible says that If any man (or boy or girl)
is in Christ (or has trusted Christ) he is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5 v17). The boy who
has trusted Christ is a new boy. He is different. If there is no change he is not saved. If there is
a change this helps him to know that he is saved.
 This does not mean that the boy who trusts Christ is perfect and will never sin again. Far
from it. Although he has a new nature he still has his old nature. And it does not mean that
there will be really big changes and that he becomes like an angel overnight.
The changes will usually be small, and they will come little by little and then they will
grow and increase just like the seed and the plant in our picture. We saw some of these
changes in our last lesson:
Slide 9a,b,c and d -the following points appear as you click and the plant will grow.
You will want to please God more and more.
You will want to talk to God and read His Word more and more.
You will love the Lord Jesus more and more.
You will want to see other people saved especially in your family.
As you see one or more of these little changes in your life and as you see them growing,
you can be sure that you are saved and that the Holy Spirit, who came to live in you when you
trusted Jesus Christ, is working in your life and helping you to grow. He is like a gardener
who sees weeds in the garden and removes them one by one and also looks after the nice
flowers in the garden and helps them to grow.

Before Mr. Archer could start teaching his Bible lesson the following Sunday, Colin had
another question:
I know I have trusted the Lord Jesus, said Colin, and I now know and am sure that I am
saved. But does it means that if I am saved from sin I will never sin again?
Mr. Archer smiled. Thats a good question, he said, and I am going to take time to
answer it.
Some people think that when they trust Jesus Christ and become Christians all their
problems are solved, that they will have no more difficulties and that they will never sin
again. You will soon learn that this is not so. I would like to make two things clear because
the Bible teaches these two truths. One is bad news and the other is good news.
Slide 10
The bad news is that Christians do have problems and a battle has started.

Their main problems are with the sinful nature which they still have.

Colin asked the question, Will I sin again?, and the answer is Yes, you will. You will not
want to but you will because that old nature is still there, and a battle has started in your life
between your old nature and your new nature. You didnt have this battle before because
you just had your old nature and it had its way in everything you did.
All the great men in the Bible who trusted and loved God had problems which came
from that old nature:
Abraham told lies
Moses killed a man
David stole another mans wife
Peter denied the Lord Jesus
However they were still saved, and God helped them to get the victory over their old
nature. He also forgave the terrible sins they had committed because they were sorry for them
and because He knew that they really loved Him and wanted to live for Him.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit lives in you to help you win the battle. You are
now a soldier like the one in this picture.
But you cannot win the battle with your old nature by yourself. It is too strong.
However there is Someone Who can help you in your battles. If you want to win these battles
you should ask God to help you to win them, and to resist the temptations your old nature is
bringing into your mind. And the Holy Spirit will give you the strength and power, little by
little, to win your battles.
 But I have another question, asked Colin, When I sin and lose a battle with temptation
do I need to be saved again? Can I lose, or break my salvation?

Thank you so much for your questions, Colin, said Mr. Archer, They are a great help
and I want to tell you right away that as far as the future is concerned you have nothing to
worry about. Let me give you the answer to this very important question by first of all asking
you a question.
What kind of life did the Lord Jesus give you when you trusted Him?
Colin replied immediately, Eternal life.
Yes, said Mr. Archer, That is right. And eternal life is life that goes on and on, for ever
and ever.

Slide 11
Eternal life is life which cannot come to an end or cannot be lost. If it were possible for
you to lose it, it would not be eternal, and the Lord Jesus would have broken His promise.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (John 10
v27, 28).
Thats clear isnt it? Those who trust and follow the Lord Jesus have eternal life, and the
Lord Jesus will not lose even one of them.
When a father is holding the hand of his little child while walking on an icy and slippery
road, as you can see here in our picture, the child does not need to be nervous because his
father will not let him go. The childs grip may not be strong but the fathers grip is strong
and will hold onto him as you can see here. And in the same way you can be sure if you have
trusted the Lord Jesus, and you are one of His sheep, He will never let you go.
The Bible says that if you are saved nothing will ever separate you from the love of Jesus
Christ (Romans 8 v35-39), and that you will never be judged or condemned (Romans 8 v1;
v33, 34). There will be no separation. There will be no condemnation, you will never be lost,
He will never let go.
And then Mr. Archer looked thoughtfully at his boys.
But remember boys that what I have said today and during these last weeks has been
mostly for those of you who have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour. But if there are others
in the class who havent done this why not do so today? Trust Jesus Christ and you will
have eternal life. The Bible says so. The boy or girl who believes in (or trusts) Him .. (has)
everlasting life (John 5 v24). and you can be absolutely and completely sure about your
future.
Slide 11a adds words
Saved sure secure. Those will be your key words now and forever