Blessed Assurance!

For Thursday, May 30, 2024:

1 Peter 1:3b-4 NLT: “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”

God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – has adopted believers into the Holy Family and prepared a special gift for each of them. You can’t buy this gift or earn it; it’s simply benevolence in motion. We call it grace, undeserved favor. The prize is eternity in the presence of God Almighty!

There are only two destinations for life after this life; paradise or the lake of fire. By our earthly decisions we are allowed to choose! Choose wisely!

Paul calls it our inheritance. I call it Assurance of Salvation. It’s a guarantee, a promise that if we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he will prepare our place in heaven.

That’s why we sing the hymn, “Blessed Assurance!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Blessed Assurance!

For Wednesday, May 25, 2022:

Mark 8:29 NLT: “Then Jesus asked the disciples, ‘But who do you say I am?’

Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah.’”

We all need to have the correct answer for Jesus’ question. The Hebrews called Jesus the Messiah, or Moshiach in their language. Greeks called him ‘the Christ,’ the anointed one.

Believers share faith in who Jesus is, and knowledge that he can accomplish what he said he would do, including forgiveness of our sins and assuring us a place in the presence of the Lord in our next life.

Believers share assurance of salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Blessed Assurance!

For Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Hebrews 10:18 NLT: “When sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”

I like to sing the old hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Christians have what no other religion can offer: Assurance of Salvation. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of the world. The price has been paid – he bought our freedom – we have been redeemed! We put our faith, hope and trust in what Jesus did. He has already made arrangements to include us in the life after this life, and we need do nothing further.

Salvation comes not from works, but rather through faith in Jesus, our Redeemer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Going to Heaven?

Aug. 19, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ll be looking at the most-asked Bible/Christianity questions for the next several weeks. And the #1 question is, (survey says:) “Can we really know for sure that we’re going to heaven?”

The answer is clearly “yes.” Does that sound arrogant? It might if we were “earning” our way into heaven, stocking-up heaven-points toward admission. But that’s not how heaven works.

Eternal life is a gift, given to us by the grace of God and his Son Jesus Christ. It’s not what we do, not our “works.” Rather, it’s what Jesus did FOR us. If we humble ourselves to accept His free gift, it’s not arrogant to say that we have it. It’s simply acknowledging that Jesus did a good job, a perfect job, when he ransomed us, rescuing us from our human condition, snatching us from certain death in the lake of fire.

Some people have a “Life Verse” from the Bible, and mine is 1 John 5:11-12 – “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal live, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has God’s Son has eternal live; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” It doesn’t get any more straightforward than that. This is what we call Blessed Assurance! We can, and should, sing about this Good News!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Sunday, Aug. 25, Pastor Pilla catches Jesus healing on the Sabbath! Yikes! Open up Luke Ch. 13 and join us!

NL