Christian Take Heart
This message will be based on a song that I wrote in June of 2023. The song is based on a little book that I read some forty odd years ago by the same title. The words of the song are as follows…
Verse 1
Christian take heart, you’re a child of His grace,
He will never ever leave you, nor ever will He forsake you.
His love for you is eternal, that’s a promise He’ll never break,
He chose you for His own, and He keeps you by His Grace… yes He keeps you by His Grace!
Verse 2
Christian take heart, salvation is of the Lord,
It is not for you to choose it, nor to keep it, or to lose it.
If you’re trusting Jesus only, and in nothing that you can do,
You have the blessed assurance, that He shed His blood for you… that He shed His blood for you.
Verse 3
Christian take heart, though you’re still in this old clay,
When you sin and fail your Saviour, He’ll never cast you away.
He’s at God’s right hand, interceding there for you,
He is faithful and just to forgive you, when you humbly ask him to… when you humbly ask Him to.
Verse 4
Christian take heart, though the way seems hard and long,
The Saviour will be with you, He won’t let you walk alone.
Though everyone else forsake you, and your pain’s too hard to bear,
Cast your cares on Jesus, He is there your load to share… He is there your load to bear.
THIS message is for those true Christians who have doubts about your salvation. If you were brought up in an Arminian church where you were taught that you can lose your salvation, and maybe you still have lingering doubts or questions about salvation by grace alone. Or if you are a young Christian who has not yet come to the truths of God’s sovereign grace in salvation. Or for those of you who are going through serious trials in your life, and trials of your faith, and the devil has planted questions and doubts in your heart about God’s love for you… then this message is for you… Christian take heart!
For this message I will follow the format of the song to get our thoughts for our message.
1. Verse 1 of the song…
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Beloved, your salvation was the result of the new birth, which is the sovereign work of divine grace by the power of the Holy Spirit in your soul, whereby you were brought to repentance and saving faith in the gospel of Jesus. This new birth is the work of God alone!
And not only were you born again by the Holy Spirit, you were also adopted into God’s family…
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will…
So then, beloved, you have been born again by the Spirit and adopted into the family of God, both of which were the works of God’s grace alone! There is great joy and assurance in knowing that you are right now a child of God’s grace, by His grace!
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
So Christian take heart, you’re a child of His grace!
Next, Christian take heart, He will never ever leave you, nor ever will He forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Beloved, Jesus is with you, and in you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you! Christ in you is your hope of glory! And there is nothing or no one that can take that hope away from you! You are in Him, and He is in you, and you are in the Father’s hand, and none can pluck you out of His hand!
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Beloved Christian friend, God has loved you with an eternal, everlasting love. God is love and His love is eternal. You love Him because He first loved you, and sent His Son Jesus to be the propitiation, or the atoning Sacrifice for your sins. He will never cease to love you! The very nature of God’s love is eternal and unconditional. His love for you is not at all affected by anything you do, whether good or bad! He loved you from eternity to eternity!
And God is faithful. He never breaks His promises. He loves you dear child of God, and He will always love you! You can be absolutely sure of that promise!
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
God chose you to be His child by grace through faith in Jesus way back in eternity, long before you were even born, even before He created the world! It was because of His love and His sovereign election that He saved you, and therefore it only stands to reason that He will “keep you by His power”, by the same sovereign grace wherewith He saved you. Nothing or no one can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
2. Verse 2 of the song…
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.
Jonah learned this blessed truth the hard way! But beloved, from start to finish, salvation is all of the Lord!
It’s the Lord’s salvation! He planned it in eternity past, He procured it in time by sending His Son to redeem you, He propagated it through the preaching of the gospel, He planted it in your soul by the power of the Holy Spirit, and He will complete it when Jesus comes again for you! Salvation is all of God’s grace! Salvation is all of the Lord!
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Beloved, the only way you can have the blessed assurance of your salvation is to realize that salvation is all of the Lord, and not at all by anything that you ever did, or ever can do, or ever will do! And when you come to see that your salvation is of all God’s grace, by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and His blood that He shed for your sins, then you will have true and lasting assurance and confidence before God that you are a Blood-bought child of His grace!
Christian take heart, though you’re still in this old clay… When you sin and fail your Savior, He’ll never cast you away.
Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
Psalm 94:14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
When the Lord saves you, He doesn’t take away your old sinful nature, but you still have that nature as long as you’re in this flesh. And because you still have this old nature, you still sin against your Savior, and you will sin as long as you are in your old body! You will still think, say, and do things that are contrary to God’s holy law, and contrary to the new man within you. And it grieves you in your heart that you still sin against your loving Saviour! And it causes you to cry out to God “O wretched man that I am!” But praise be to God and His marvelous, amazing grace, He will never cast you away. He will never utterly cast you down, or cast you out! You will never be forsaken by your merciful heavenly Father, and your loving Saviour Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
The good news is that when you sin, and we all still sin, that Jesus your Great High Priest is there at God’s right hand interceding there for you! He pleads your pardon on the merits of His blood that He shed for you! Beloved, all the accusations of sin cannot be brought to your charge because you are eternally justified and forgiven by the atoning work of Christ on the cross for you. All the sins you will ever commit are under the blood of Jesus, who died for all your sins… past, present, and future! Jesus died for all your sins long before you were even born! All of your sins were yet future, when Jesus paid the ransom price for your soul!
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This daily forgiveness is for your fellowship with the Lord. If you fail to acknowledge and confess your sins, you cause a breach in your fellowship with God, and with Jesus your Savior. We all need daily cleansing from our sins, because we are still sinners. But the good news is, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins, and to cease you from all your unrighteousness.
Christian, never think that you can’t come to Jesus asking for forgiveness! You might sin the same sin everyday of your life. In fact, you might have many such sins that you wrestle with in your life. And you might not think that Jesus will continue to forgive you for those sins. You feel bad about even asking for forgiveness, knowing that you haven’t overcome that sin, and you find yourself asking for forgiveness over and over again for the same sin!
Beloved, Jesus knows the feeling of your infirmities. He is the sympathizing Savior. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Don’t hesitate for a second to take any and all your sins to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness. After all, that is why Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, to forgive you of all your sins!
4. Verse 4 of the song…
Beloved, most of the time the Christian life is full of joy, and filled with blessings, and peace, and happiness, and good times! But there will be dark and evil days to come that will be filled with sadness, and sorrow, and suffering, and heartaches of every kind!
And you must expect these days to come in your life, whether sooner or later, but they will come. And it might seem as if they will never end! Just think of Job! And think of many brothers and sisters in Christ that we know right now that have been a long time in the dark days of sorrow and suffering in their lives. Ecclesiastes 12 speaks about the dark days that will come upon the elderly. But sometimes these days don’t wait until we get old, but they come in middle age, and even in youth.
Yes, beloved, like the children of Israel, sometimes we grow weary because of the way!
But, beloved Christian, take heart, the Savior will be with you, He won’t let you walk alone.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
There is no more comforting thought to a child of God, than that of knowing God is with you. Jesus will come to you in your sorrows and afflictions. He will be with you and comfort you in your dark days!
Christian take heart! Though everyone else forsake you, and your pain’s too hard to bear, Cast your cares on Jesus, He is there your load to share… He is there your load to bear!
2 Timothy 4:16-17 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
Beloved, there might come a time in your life when everyone in your life leaves you or forsakes you! Yes, sad to say, sometimes life can be lonely. There are a lot of lonely people all around us. Sometimes you get to talking with people, elderly people, and Christian people, and it seems like they won’t let you go! They’re lonely! Oh what a sad way to have to live. To have no one to talk to. No one to share your life with. No one who cares about you! How many people are living in this lonely way? I’m afraid we wouldn’t want to know.
But Christian take heart! You’ve got a friend in Jesus! He’s a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He’s a friend that loveth at all times, and a Brother born for adversity. Though all your friends and family forsake you, Jesus never will forsake you. No matter what, Jesus will always be with you! No matter what, He will help you with your burdens. He will help you bear your load of care!
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Yes, Christian, take heart! Jesus cares for you. He wants to help you bear your load of care…
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This is an invitation to the lost, but it still applies to those of us who are saved! Jesus is an ever present help in time of need. He will come to you and be with you in all your troubles and trials. He will be with you when all the world forsakes you. And He will help you, and carry your burden for you. And He will be with you to the end!
In conclusion, that’s about all we have to say. I hope that something we’ve said will be a help to you.
Just remember beloved Christian, when troubles come, when doubts and fears assail, when dark days are upon you, when all the world forsakes you, just remember, Jesus loves you and is with you, and will never leave nor forsake you!
He chose you for His own, He died on the cross for your sins, He loves you with an everlasting love, and He will never leave you nor forsake you!
Christian, take heart!
If you are not a Christian, then all I've said doesn't mean much to you. And if that is your case, I pray God will grant you repentance and faith in Jesus as your Saviour. I pray God will reveal to you that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus as your Saviour. Believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for your sins, that He was buried in the tomb, and that He rose again from the dead on the third day to save you from your sins and give you eternal life.
Then I will be able to say to you,
Christian, take heart!