The Blessed Assurance of Christ's Love

One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night (John 13: 23-30).

Two disciples are highlighted by our Teacher in today’s text. One was so sure of His close intimate relationship with Jesus He was almost arrogant in identifying himself as the disciple… “Whom Jesus loved”. Both Scripture and history confirm that this disciple is our author John the Evangelist. (See John 21:20-23). The other disciple would betray Jesus. Judas accepted the bread from the hand of Jesus that identified him as the betrayer, and at that very moment… “Satan entered into him”. John believed the best about his relationship with Christ while Judas believed the worst. The blessings of intimacy, protection, and revelation belong to those disciples who rest in the blessed assurance of Christ’s love.

If we’re honest, we all have moments of doubt. Sometimes the stress of life produces hours or days of doubt. Occasionally the trials of life lead us into seasons of doubt. These are the times that shake our heart and test our faith. We often discover what we truly believe in the midst of times like these. And it is what we believe that will determine how we come out on the other side of such trials.

The Holy Spirit promises that as we journey through this temporal world we all will have faith testing trials… “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The Teacher exhorts us to prepare ourselves for such trials by examining and nurturing our fellowship with Christ… “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5). He further encourages us to hold onto Jesus, to allow trials to draw us closer to Him… “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Finally, the Spirit promises that when, like the dearly loved apostle John, we rest in Jesus and look to Him through the faith testing moments of life, our faith will be refined and strengthened… “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). Our trial tested faith glorifies God and honors our Savior.

No trial could shake John’s confidence in Christ’s love for him. The Spirit wants us to know and hold onto Christ’s love too… “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father… that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may… know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:14-19). God has given us a clear revelation of His great love… “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And He tells us that nothing is more secure than His love for us… “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

As we grow up into Christ as we stay close to Him, the trials of life will only make us more certain of…

The Blessed Assurance of Christ’s Love.