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Personal Reflection and Application

From this lesson,

MOVE ON TO MATURITY
I realize…

INTRODUCTION
There is something tragic about life that does not produce growth, whether it be a lifeless plant, a
blackened forest or a flattened city. Life is to result to growth. God designed it that way.

In the same way, spiritual life is to result in spiritual growth. In fact, God intends us to grow. The author
of the book of Hebrews said, “Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to
I believe… maturity” (Hebrews 6:1, ESV). It is God‟s desire that we spiritually progress and press beyond the
ABC‟s if the Christian life moving on to Christian maturity.

God commands us that we grow. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ” (II Peter 3:18). Our God wants us to be both hearers and doers of the Word, to be learning and
living the Christian life.

It is important to know that spiritual growth is not automatic nor does it occur accidentally. All spiritual
growth takes place as we, by faith, practice the principles found in God‟s word, and that is the purpose
of the Move On To Maturity Bible study series, which is a series of sixteen lessons. Within it, you will
find „scriptural principles‟ which, when appropriated and applied to the life, will move the believer down
I will… the path of spiritual progress and on to maturity.

So come and begin taking the steps to move on to maturity and be changed into the image of
the Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelist Michael A. Redick

December 2005
Singapore
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Completion Record DECISION PLEDGE

SCRIPTURE MEMORY Initial Date

Lesson 1: Assurance- 1 John 5:13

If you made have made the decision to depend/trust in Christ as your Savior and Lord, you
Lesson 2: Confession- 1 John 1:9
have received eternal life—you have now entered into a living relationship with Him. Please
Lesson 3: Power- Ephesians 5:18
read and sign the pledge below as a reminder of your commitment today:
Lesson 4: Lordship- II Corinthians 5:15
Lesson 5: The Word- Proverbs 4:23
Lesson 6: Faith- Romans 1:17
Lesson 7: Prayer- Luke 18:1
Lesson 8: Guidance- Romans 12:1-2

SOMETHING TO DO Today, Jesus, I trusted in You to be my Savior and my Lord

and I accepted Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You for
Lesson 3: Power- “Hearing God Activity” completing salvation and cancelling all my sins at the cross.
Lesson 5: The Word- “Renewing Your Mind 14-day Challenge” Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who is now dwelling in me to
bear witness that I am your child and You are my Father. And
PERSONAL REFLECTION AND APPLICATION because of what You have done for me, I now give my life to
follow you for the rest of my life.
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 1: Assurance
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 2: Confession
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 3: Power
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 4: Lordship SIGNED: ________________________
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 5: The Word
DATE: __________________________
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 6: Faith
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 7: Prayer
Completed Personal Reflection and Application in Lesson 8: Guidance

Signed:

_____________________________

(Name and Signature of Disciple) Checked by:

_____________________________

(Name and Signature of Leader)

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Discussion Questions
1. What are some reasons people often doubt their salvation? Why is it
important to be sure of our salvation? What verse specifically teaches us that
we can know that we have eternal life?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30)? Why is it
impossible for man to earn his salvation? What verses support the truth that
man is not saved by works?
3. Why is it that no one is beyond God’s forgiveness? At the moment of salvation
how much of our sin did Jesus forgive? What key verses teach us that all our
sin is forgiven at salvation?
4. Does our sin remove our salvation? What does sin do to our relationship with
God? Once we do sin, what needs to be done to regain our fellowship with
God?
5. In what two ways does the Holy Spirit testify to you that you are God’s child?
At salvation, did you experience the witness of the Holy Spirit? If so, explain.
6. Based on this lesson, what are some things you know and you can claim that
are true in your life right now?
7. Would you like to express your gratitude to God for what He has done for you?
If yes, doing so is a demonstration of faith!
MEMORIZE I John 5:13
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LESSON 1
ASSURANCE
Your Certainty of Salvation
There are many today who have no assurance of salvation, no certainty that they are saved. There are
several reasons people doubt their salvation. Some cannot remember the exact time or place; they
have no recollection of their salvation experience. This happens to any who grow up in church. Others
doubt due to sin or as a result of physical difficulties or financial setbacks. Some doubt simply due to a
misunderstanding of what salvation truly means.
There are some who are uncertain of their salvation because they are not actually saved.
Whether you are saved and not sure or simply just not saved, it is God‟s desire that you be „saved and
sure.‟
Read 1 John 5:13.
What does the passage tell us about eternal life?
a) “… that you may hope that you have eternal life.”
b) “…that you may desire that you have eternal life.”
c) “…that you may know that you have eternal life.”
It is God‟s desire that you be „saved and sure.‟
Let me ask you a question: “If you were to die today or five years from now are you 100% sure that all
your sin, that is sin of your past, present, and future are forgiven and that you have everlasting life?”
Indicate your answer by checking the one that best describes you:
____ I am 0% sure _____ I am 50% sure.
____ I am 25% sure. ____ I am 100% sure.
Why? Or Why not? ______________________________________________________________
If you are 100% sure, when did eternal life begin for you? When did you make a conscious decision to
receive Jesus as your personal Savior? ________________________
If you are sure, then this lesson will hopefully confirm your claim and will give you a firm confidence
about what God has done for us.
If you are not sure, then this lesson will help you to be assured of your salvation.
Spiritual progress begins when this question can be answered with a confident „yes.‟
Your move on to maturity starts with the assurance of salvation.
There are three truths you need to depend upon in order to be assured of your salvation.
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By faith depend on the WORK of Christ.
There is only one way you can be saved and sure and that is when you, by faith, accept the
finished work of Christ. Our salvation is not based on what we do or do not do for God, but
what God has done for us.
When Christ died on Calvary‟s cross, two wonderful events occurred.
A. Salvation was ______________________.
The last words of Jesus Christ on the cross were these—
Read John 19:30.
The word “finished” was a very common word in the Lord‟s Day. By definition, it means, “the
debt has been paid in full.” It was a word used primarily by “merchants.” If you had
purchased something on credit, when you made the last payment the merchant would give
you a receipt and stamped across the front of it would be the word “finished,” meaning, “the
debt has been paid in full.”
Based on the meaning of the word “finished,” what was Jesus saying when He cried “It is
finished”?
Every unbelieving sinner is in debt to God and they have a bill they cannot pay.
1. What are we all guilty of? (Romans 3:23)
2. What does a sinner deserve as wages? (Romans 6:23)
But Jesus paid that debt when He died for us on the cross.
Read Ephesians 1:7.
3. How did Jesus pay the price?
4. If Jesus, by His blood, paid for all your sin, is there anything left for you to pay?
The Holy Spirit testifies to you in two ways.
1. There is a sense of ___________________________.
The Apostle Paul made this clear in Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!‟”
One of the first things that happen at the moment of salvation is we are overcome with an
overwhelming sense of God‟s peace. Fear of sin and death is instantly removed and the peace of God
sweeps over the soul, giving a quiet assurance that our sin is forgiven and heaven will be our eternal
home.
When we, by faith, accept what God‟s Word says about Christ‟s work, we will experience and know the
peace of the Holy Spirit testifying to my spirit that we are His children.
2. There is a sense of ____________________________.
Not only does salvation bring the peace of God, it also brings a sense of God‟s presence. Again, Paul
said, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit
of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father‟” (Romans 8:15).At salvation, the Holy Spirit brings
a sense of the nearness and dearness of God. There is an awareness that you belong to the Father.
There is an awakening in your spirit that you are part of God‟s family. There is a deep inner conviction
that you are a child of God.
If there has been a time in your life when you, by faith, depended on the work of Christ as revealed in
the Word of God, then you will know the witness of the Spirit. Somehow and in some way, deep
down inside, the Spirit will testify to your spirit that you belong to God. When there is a sense of God‟s
peace and presence, then in our heart will be a glorious song of praise to our God who saved us and
secures our salvation. Are you saved? Are you sure?
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B. God’s Word Promotes Assurance.
Not only does God‟s Word promise assurance but also God‟s Word promotes assurance.
13. What does Jesus, the Great Shepherd, promise to His sheep? (John 10:28)
14. What can separate us from the love of God? (Romans 8:35)
Not only does the Word of God give me the assurance that I am saved but God‟s Word
gives me the assurance that my salvation is secure
Not even our sin can take our salvation.
Our sin does not affect our family relationship with God, but it affects our fellowship with
God.
THE HUSBAND-WIFE ILLUSTRATION
If a wife and a husband have a fight and the wife storms out and locks herself in
the room and refuses to talk with him, it does not mean that their marriage
relationship is cut off. The fight has not cancelled the marriage relationship but it
has affected their fellowship.
The same is true with us. The answer to our broken fellowship with God is not to
ask God to save us again but to simply “confess our sin” because when we do, “He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John1:9).
Our relationship with God is kept right by His death on the cross (1John 1:7)
and our fellowship with Him is kept right by confession of sin (1John 1:9).
By faith depend on the WITNESS of the Spirit.
When we, by faith, depend upon the Word of God concerning the work of Christ, then we will
know the witness of the Spirit.
Read Romans 8:16.
15. Based on this verse, what does the Spirit bear witness (or affirm)?
Some people think salvation is on an installment plan. They think Jesus made the “down payment”
when He died on the cross and it is now up to us, through all our self-effort to “keep up the payments.”
But salvation is not on an installment plan, Jesus paid it all.
5. In what way is a man justified (or declared righteous in the sight of God)? (Romans 3:28)
6. Can a man earn salvation by his good works? (Ephesians 2:8-9)
REMEMBER:
Salvation is not based on what you do but on what Jesus Christ has __________ for you.
THE CABINETMAKER
A story is told about an evangelist was trying to lead a
cabinetmaker to Christ. This man was brilliant at his work, yet he
felt he had to do something to earn his salvation. One day, the
evangelist visited him in his shop and admired a piece of work the
man had just finished. With mischief in his eyes, the evangelist
picked up a plane and said, “I am going to see if I can ease off this
corner and put a finishing touch to it.” At that the cabinetmaker
was horrified, and cried, “Man alive! Do not do that, it is a finished
article!”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to teach you these few weeks,” said
the evangelist. “The work of Christ for your salvation is a finished
work. You cannot add anything to it. All you have to do is to accept
it.” The man saw the point and decided for Christ there and then.
Read Hebrews 9:26.
7. How many times did Jesus have to die and how many did He die for?
Read Hebrews 10:4, 12.
8. If Christ died once and for all, is His sacrifice for sins complete and sufficient?
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Salvation is already done. It is by faith accepting the fact that the work of salvation is complete
It is realizing that we are not saved based on what we do or do not do.
But there is only one way of salvation and that is _____________ the finished work of Christ.
B. Sin was ________________________.
When Jesus died on Calvary‟s cross, not only was salvation completed but also sin was
cancelled.
9. How many sins does the blood of Jesus cleanse? (1John 1:7, Colossians 2:13)
10. Does “all” include our past, present, and future sins?
When we, by faith, accept the finished work of Christ, all of our sin—all of our past,
present, and even future sins are forgiven. Every sin that you have ever committed and
every sin that you will ever commit is, at the moment of salvation, instantly forgiven and
washed away.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
There is no sin so great that God cannot forgive.
Forgiveness is not based on what we do or do not do but on God’s love for us.
THE PESO BILL
If I hold up a P200 bill and ask, “Who would like to have this P200 bill?” Likely
everyone would respond by saying, “Yes, I would.” If I crumple the bill up in my
hand and then ask again, “Who would like to have this P200 bill?” Likely
everyone would respond by saying, “Yes.” What if I take this money and step
on it and grind it into the ground with the sole of my shoe and then ask, “Who
still wants this old P200 bill?” Likely everyone would still say, “Yes, I do.” The
fact is, no matter what I did to this P200 bill, I did not increase its value. It still is
worth P200.
The same is true with you. Your life might be messed up with sin; you may feel
soiled and dirty, but when you, by faith, accept the finished work of Christ, sin is
cancelled and you are cleansed and God accepts you as His Son.
The assurance of salvation is not based on who you are
or on what you have done,
but on what God has done for you.
By faith depend on the _________________ of God.
To be saved and sure, not only must we depend upon the work of Christ but we must also
depend upon the Word of God. When we, by faith, accept what God‟s Word says about God‟s work, we
will be absolutely sure of our salvation. The Bible is the basis of our assurance. I know I am saved
today because the Bible says so. The Word of God provides assurance in two ways.
A. God’s Word _______________________ Assurance.
11. In John 3:36, what does Jesus promise to those who believe in Him?
12. Aside from everlasting life, what is Jesus‟ assurance to those who hear His word and
believe in Him? (John 5:24)
In other words, if we have believed in the work of the Son then we have everlasting life. If you hear
God‟s Word about God‟s work and by faith trust Jesus Christ for salvation, then you can be absolutely
sure of your salvation, simply because the Bible says so.
D.L. Moody said, “I believe hundreds of Christians have not got the assurance of salvation just because
they are not willing to take God at His Word.”