Absolute faith, trust and certainty that (Heb. 3:14): God loves you Jesus died for you Jesus is alive today Heaven prepared for you Absolute assurance that you did (Rom. 6:3-4): The right thing At the right time For the right reason Absolute confidence to confess your faith (Rom. 10:10)
Convicted of the reality of sin (1 John 3:4; Rom. 3:23) Convicted of the seriousness of sin (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4) Convicted of the consequences of sin (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 1:18; 6:23; 2 Thess. 1:8-9) Convicted of the personal nature of sin (Ezek. 18:20; 1 Tim. 1:15)
A change enacted by God through sanctification (next point) A change enacted by you through repentance A change of mind (Acts 23:1) A change of heart (Psa. 19:14) A change of life (Matt. 21:28-31) A change of thoughts (Phil. 4:8) A change of words (Matt. 12:36-37) A change of attitudes (Col. 3:8-14) A change of actions (Col. 3:5-7) A change of habits (1 Cor. 6:9-11) A change of friends (Prov. 12:26; 1 Cor. 15:33)
Once stained with sin, in baptism, the blood of Jesus: Washed you white as snow (Acts 22:16; Isa. 1:18) Cleansed you and set you apart (1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26) Purified your soul (1 Pet. 1:22) Blotted out your sins (Acts 3:19) Made you brand new (2 Cor. 5:17) Every filthy sin was taken away (Col. 2:11-12)
You were SAVED! Rejoice! (Acts 8:35-39; 16:31-34) You were FREED! Rejoice! (Rom. 6:6-11; John 8:32-36) You were ADOPTED! Rejoice! (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 3:26-27) You were ACCEPTED! Rejoice! (Acts 10:35; Eph. 1:6) You were ENROLLED! Rejoice! (Heb. 12:23; Rev. 21:27) You were SECURED! Rejoice! (1 John 5:13; 1 Pet. 1:5)
To love the Lord with all your heart (Matt. 22:37) To seek His church and His righteousness first (Matt. 6:33) To deny self, take up your cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23) To walk with Him each day (1 John 1:7) To be steadfast in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58) To worship Him regularly & wholeheartedly (Matt. 4:10; Col. 3:16) To test all things: hold to good, abstain from evil (1 Thess. 5:21-22) To teach others the wonderful news of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:2) To glorify God in your body and in your spirit (1 Cor. 6:20)
You were made right with God (1 Cor. 6:11; Mt. 28:19-20) Because you had been: Pardoned from the guilt of sin (Acts 2:38) Freed from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:3-18) Reconciled from the separation of sin (Eph. 2:11-13) Saved from the condemnation of sin (1 Pet. 3:20-21)
Remember that day! The best day! Rejoice in that day! The best day! Recommit today to what you had that day! Rearrange, Reform, Revamp anything that has changed! Refuse to ever: Go astray (Heb. 3:8-14) Forget that you were cleansed by the blood of Jesus (2 Pet. 1:9) Lose sight of His great reward (John 14:1-3)
Examine yourself today! Have you ever been baptized? If not, why not today? If you have been baptized: Was preceded with Confidence, Conviction and Change? Was it for the purpose of Cleansing, not previously yours? Was it accompanied by a Commitment to a lifetime of service? Did it result in great Cheerfulness and Calm?