Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210040S
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00:25 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn
00:27 and we welcome you to 3ABN Worship Hour. 00:31 It is time to dive into the scriptures and see 00:36 what message the Lord has for us today. 00:38 I want to pose three questions. 00:41 First, can we have assurance of salvation? 00:47 Spoiler alert. 00:48 Yes, we can. 00:50 Second question is based on 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul says, 00:56 "If we are faithless, He is faithful, 00:59 for He cannot deny Himself." 01:02 My question is, 01:03 is that a word of comfort or a word of warning 01:07 that we need to guard 01:10 our relationship of grace with the Lord? 01:12 And then the third question is, 01:15 can we deny the grace that God has given us? 01:19 Can we turn our back on the gift of salvation 01:24 and just leave it lying in the dust? 01:28 Or is it once saved always saved? 01:33 That's the title of today's message, 01:35 "Once Saved, Always Saved?" 01:43 Let's pray. 01:44 Heavenly Father, we come in the name of Jesus. 01:46 Oh, how we thank You that You are a covenant making, 01:49 covenant keeping God. 01:51 How we thank You for Your grace 01:54 and Your plan of redemption. 01:57 How we thank You for the gifts of grace, 01:59 for Jesus Christ, 02:01 Your Holy Spirit, and your Word. 02:02 Lord, in the name of Jesus, 02:04 I pray You will get me out of the way, 02:07 speak to Your people today and may You get all the glory. 02:11 In Jesus' name, amen. 02:14 Before we consider these questions, 02:17 I want to lay a foundation of salvation by grace alone. 02:23 Now, some people don't know that the Bible clearly teaches 02:26 that some who are listening to my verse 02:28 may not even know what salvation by grace means. 02:32 You know, the Bible tells us 02:34 that God has an everlasting covenant, 02:39 and that is a covenant of redemption. 02:42 Revelation13:8 says, 02:44 "That Christ the Lamb was slain 02:48 before the foundation of the world." 02:51 And Paul wrote to Timothy and said, 02:53 "Hey, we were given grace in Christ Jesus 02:56 before time began, before it began on earth." 03:01 Grace is unmerited favor. 03:04 It is unearned gifts from God. 03:09 There is absolutely nothing 03:11 you and I can do to save ourselves. 03:13 Nothing, we just have to rely on the life, 03:17 the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 03:21 We have to rely on our God 03:24 who humbled Himself and became a man 03:26 and then died to pay the penalty for our sin. 03:30 And I think we need to always remain 03:34 mindful of the cost of grace. 03:37 Grace may be free to us, but it cost Him everything. 03:41 Eternal life is given in two stages you might say. 03:46 The first is now, 03:48 God gives us the abundant life in Christ Jesus right now. 03:54 But the second is future. 03:57 It is resurrection from the dead. 04:00 It is putting on immortality when Christ returns. 04:06 Just read 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, 04:08 and you will see we're not immortal 04:12 until that last trumpet and Christ returns. 04:16 But then Paul says, 04:17 "We put on immortality and death is overcome." 04:22 Eternal life, 04:25 what's the big deal 04:26 about eternal life or what is eternal life? 04:29 That is to rescue us from the second death 04:34 when God obliterates sin and sinners. 04:39 When He turns this world into a lake of fire, 04:42 the Revelation calls that, 04:45 four different times it mentions the second death. 04:49 We are either going to be given eternal life, 04:52 or we will perish in the second death. 04:56 There are three progressive phases 04:59 to salvation by grace. 05:01 You could say, we are saved, 05:04 we are being saved and we will be saved. 05:07 The first is justification. 05:10 That's when God declares we're pardoned. 05:13 That's when God changes our record. 05:17 And we accept by faith what Christ did 05:20 as the Lamb of God 05:22 dying for the penalty of our sins. 05:25 And we are justified by grace. 05:30 We are saved. 05:32 We are justified of our past sins. 05:36 Now, the second phase is we will be sanctified, 05:42 and that's a progressive work of a lifetime. 05:46 To be sanctified simply means we're set apart from sin. 05:52 Actually, you know what? 05:54 The synonym for sanctification is holiness. 05:58 So holiness just means God sets us apart from sin. 06:03 He changes our character. 06:07 When we are born again 06:09 and filled with the Holy Spirit. 06:12 When we are led by the Spirit of God, 06:14 we are the children of God. 06:16 We are being saved in the present. 06:21 But then the third stage or phase of salvation 06:26 is when we will be glorified. 06:28 This is in the future. 06:30 Once again, go back to 1 Corinthians 15. 06:34 It is this mortal puts on immortality 06:39 when Christ returns 06:40 and we have a glorified body like Him. 06:45 This is how we can say 06:48 we shall be saved because it is guaranteed. 06:52 This future event has certainty for those who are in Christ. 06:56 Both the Old Testament 06:58 and the New Testament are clear, 07:00 salvation belongs to God. 07:02 And it's always been by grace through faith. 07:06 What we see in scripture, beginning in Genesis 3:15, 07:13 when God announces the seed, a Messiah, 07:16 who's gonna come and deliver. 07:18 What we see is every one of His covenants 07:22 build on the last 07:24 and God has progressively unfolding to us 07:26 the plan of salvation. 07:28 All of God's covenants are a will, 07:31 a testament, never a contract. 07:34 God makes all of the promises. 07:36 Then He invites us to enter into covenant with Him. 07:42 Now, God has some of His covenants are obligatory 07:47 and the covenant of salvation does have some steps. 07:53 Should we say that we have to keep what God asks of us 07:58 is that would we enter into covenant with Him 08:01 that we walk in loyalty to Him, that we love Him, 08:06 because covenant is all about a relationship. 08:11 It's a relationship of love with God. 08:13 And it's an agreement to walk governed by His authority, 08:20 His power of love. 08:23 So you might say, well, not might say, let's say it. 08:29 God's love is absolutely unconditional, 08:34 but His promises are not. 08:37 They are based on us 08:40 willingly submitting to His will. 08:44 Walking in obedience and to stay 08:47 in covenant relationship with the Lord. 08:50 We have to walk in obedience. 08:52 Otherwise we're breaking covenant with Him. 08:55 This is the thing that I love is that 08:58 God empowers us to walk in obedience. 09:01 He fills us. 09:03 He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. 09:06 And let me just say this, 09:08 baptism of the Holy Spirit isn't an experience you seek, 09:14 the baptism of the Holy Spirit 09:16 is a reality that you accept when you're born again. 09:20 So the Bible says that God keeps covenant 09:22 with those who keep covenant with Him. 09:25 In Malachi 3:6, God says, "I am the Lord, I change not." 09:29 Hebrews 13:8 says, 09:31 "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever." 09:35 So the spiritual principles of the Old Testament, 09:40 you will see echoed in the New Testament. 09:44 Let me give you an example. 09:46 In Ezekiel 33:18, God speaks. 09:52 And He says, when the righteous 09:55 and to be righteous with God means 09:56 you're in right standing with God. 09:59 You are walking according to His government of love. 10:03 But here's what God says. 10:05 When the righteous turns 10:09 from his righteousness and commits iniquity, 10:14 he shall die because of it. 10:16 Now, what death is He talking of? 10:18 The second death. 10:20 We all die the first death, 10:21 that is a biological certainty, 10:24 unless we are alive at Christ coming. 10:28 But He is saying, okay, 10:30 so you're walking along and you're a righteous man, 10:32 but you turn away from it 10:34 and commit iniquity in a habitual way. 10:38 He says, guess what? 10:39 You're gonna die because of it. 10:41 That's kind of a warning, but then I love this. 10:46 He says, when the wicked man over here, 10:51 who's not walking according to God's will. 10:54 When he turns from his wickedness 10:56 and does what is lawful and right 10:59 according to God's government, he shall live because of it. 11:05 Then He says, "I will judge every one of you 11:08 according to his own ways." 11:12 That's Ezekiel 33. 11:14 in the New Testament, 11:18 Jesus echoes the same principle. 11:21 "If anyone does not abide," and abide means to remain. 11:26 "If anyone does not abide in Me, 11:28 he is cast out as a branch and is withered 11:31 and they gather them 11:33 and throw them into the fire and they are burned." 11:37 Now, Paul echoes it again in Romans 11:21 and 23. 11:42 He says, "If God did not spare the natural branches," 11:46 he is speaking of Israel the biological seed of Abraham. 11:52 And remember, Jesus is the vine, 11:55 we are, the branches, we're grafted in, 11:58 and that's what Paul's talking about here. 11:59 But he says, "Hey, if He didn't spare Israel, 12:02 the natural branches, 12:04 He may not spare you either the spiritual seed of Abraham." 12:10 Therefore, he says, 12:12 "Consider the goodness and the severity of God 12:17 on those who fell severity. 12:21 But toward you, goodness, 12:23 if you continue in His goodness," 12:28 is what Paul says. 12:29 How important that is 12:30 that we continue walking in God's goodness. 12:35 Otherwise you will also be cut off. 12:37 And they also, 12:39 if they do not continue in unbelief, 12:42 will be grafted in 12:44 for God is able to graft them in again. 12:48 Do you see how that echoes Ezekiel 33? 12:52 God's message is consistent throughout scripture. 12:56 We see God speaking to Moses in Exodus 32. 13:00 And He says to Moses, 13:04 "Anyone, whoever has sinned against me, 13:07 I will blot him out of my Book." 13:11 What book is He referring to? 13:13 The Book of Life, the register of the redeemed. 13:16 So their name is in the Book of Life. 13:19 That means they have been that one of God's elect, 13:23 but He says, "If you sin against Me, 13:25 I'm gonna blot you out of My book." 13:27 What? 13:28 But guess what? 13:30 Jesus echoes this, saying it in a reverse way. 13:34 Listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 3:5, 13:38 "He who overcomes, 13:40 he who overcomes sin 13:42 by the power of the Holy Spirit, by Christ, 13:45 living in our hearts, through faith. 13:47 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. 13:50 And I will not blot out his name 13:55 from the Book of Life." 13:56 That implies if you don't overcome, 13:59 if you don't accept the divine assistance of grace, 14:04 you could be blotted out. 14:07 And He says, "I will confess, if you overcome, 14:10 I won't blot your name out of the Book of Life, 14:12 but I'll confess his name before my Father 14:15 and before His angels." 14:16 So that's our foundation. 14:18 That leads me to a story. 14:19 Let me tell you what happened years ago. 14:22 A Baptist preacher had heard me speak 14:24 and he asked me to come 14:26 to his church and teach a series. 14:28 Well, on the fifth night, 14:30 as I am speaking about halfway 14:32 through the back doors 14:34 get swung open clanging and banging. 14:37 And in walks a man who is drunk as a skunk, 14:42 reeling from one aisle to the next. 14:46 He just bumping into things, 14:48 coming down the aisle, cursing and swearing. 14:50 And I mean, when you're a speaker 14:52 and this is happening, it's kind of alarming. 14:54 And you just ah... 14:56 Well, what happened is 14:57 five of the little ladies of the church jump up 15:00 and they get around him and they're saying, 15:02 "Oh, don't worry, brother, you're saved. 15:04 Once saved, always saved." 15:06 You're saved, and I'm sitting there and I said, 15:08 what makes you think he's saved? 15:11 And they said, well, five years ago, 15:14 we had an evangelistic series and he came down front 15:19 and he said a prayer too, he made a decision for Jesus. 15:24 I wanna to tell you something. 15:27 Salvation is more than making a decision for Jesus. 15:30 Salvation is more 15:32 than asking Him to be your savior. 15:37 Salvation means He is Lord of your life, 15:42 that He is the ruler of your life. 15:45 And you know what I believe, 15:46 I believe if this man's prayer was sincere 15:50 those many years before that God heard it 15:55 and justified him, pardoned his record. 15:57 Why? 15:59 Because 1 John 1:9 says, "When we confess our sins, 16:01 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 16:05 and to cleanse our record of all unrighteousness." 16:09 But obviously this man fell away 16:13 from the path of salvation. 16:15 He did not continue from the first phase 16:18 to the second phase of sanctification. 16:21 He was not separated from his sin. 16:24 And in my estimation, 16:26 these ladies were giving him a false sense of security. 16:30 He thought that he could live like the devil 16:33 in habitual sin and still be saved. 16:36 Now, in fairness to my precious brothers and sisters 16:40 who believe in once saved, always saved, I will say this. 16:44 They would argue, well, 16:46 he was never really saved 16:48 because if he'd been born again, 16:50 he couldn't fall away. 16:52 Here's my question to my brothers and sisters 16:56 who believe this. 16:59 If you don't know 17:02 that you're not saved till you fall away, 17:05 how do you ever have assurance of salvation? 17:08 How do you ever know that you won't fall away? 17:14 How do you ever know that you weren't really saved? 17:18 I believe if we are understand that salvation 17:23 is only for the covenant relationship 17:27 of living with God that we understand 17:32 that we have to remain in relationship with Him. 17:35 Then we will know that if we break the covenant 17:40 and don't that we're in danger. 17:43 Eternal life is something that we want, 17:47 not just now 17:49 with the abundant life Christ gives us. 17:51 But we want to put on that immortality. 17:55 So this leads me to our question. 17:58 Can we have assurance of salvation? 18:01 Let me tell you this. 18:03 If you remain in Christ, if you're abiding in Christ, 18:08 you can absolutely have 18:12 assurance of your salvation. 18:15 There is no question about it. 18:17 And let me read to you 18:18 from 1 John 5:10-13, John writes, 18:23 "He who believes in the Son of God 18:25 has the witness in himself, 18:26 he who does not believe God has made Him a liar." 18:31 Wow! 18:32 That'll wake you up. 18:34 If you're not believing God's promises, 18:35 you're calling God a liar. 18:37 That's blasphemy. 18:39 "Because he has not believed the testimony 18:42 that God has given of His Son." 18:45 This is the testimony He says in verse 11, 18:47 I mean 1 John 5:11. 18:50 "This is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, 18:56 and this life is in His Son." 19:00 What does He mean if you are in Jesus, 19:04 if you are believing in Jesus? 19:08 And that means believing is to be living in Jesus. 19:14 Then He says, 19:16 "His eternal life, this life is in the Son. 19:19 He who has the Son has life. 19:22 You have eternal life. 19:25 He who does not have the Son does not have life. 19:27 These things I've written to you who believe 19:30 in the name of the Son of God, that you may know," 19:33 this is what John is saying, 19:35 "that you may know that you have eternal life." 19:38 Are you in Christ Jesus? 19:40 You have eternal life. 19:42 Hallelujah. 19:43 There's no question about it. 19:45 And he says, 19:46 and that you may continue 19:50 to believe in the name of the Son of God. 19:54 And as I said, continuing to believe, 19:57 this is not just a mental assent 20:00 where we agree that, yeah, 20:03 Jesus died for us, I believe that. 20:05 No, no, no. 20:06 Even the demons believe like that James says 20:09 and they shutter. 20:11 Two, if we are believing in Christ, 20:15 we will be living in Christ. 20:20 If you have the Son, if you're abiding in the Son, 20:24 you can have assurance of salvation. 20:27 I want to quote something. 20:29 I rarely quote Ellen White, 20:30 mainly because she says not to, but Ellen G. White, 20:36 The Faith I Live By in page 100. 20:39 Here's what she says. 20:40 "It is not God's will that you should be distressful 20:46 and torture your soul with a fear 20:49 that God will not accept you 20:50 because you are sinful and unworthy." 20:52 Did you get that? 20:54 Don't be distressful. 20:56 Don't torture your soul. 20:58 Don't fear that God's not accepting you 21:00 because you're sinful and unworthy. 21:02 She goes on to say, 21:04 "You can say, I know I am a sinner. 21:08 And that is the reason I need a savior. 21:11 I have no merit or goodness whereby I may claim salvation. 21:17 But I present before God, 21:19 the all atoning blood of the spotless Lamb of God, 21:23 which taketh away the sin of the world." 21:26 And she finishes and she says, "This is my only plea." 21:31 That's Ellen White, The Faith I Live By, page 100. 21:36 We need to have assurance of salvation. 21:42 And if we're abiding in Him, we will. 21:45 But let me tell you something, 21:47 remaining in Christ 21:48 doesn't mean that you will never sin. 21:51 I love Micah 7:8. 21:54 Micah 7:8 he says, 21:56 "Do not rejoice over me my enemy. 21:59 When I fall, I will arise. 22:01 When I sit in darkness, 22:02 the Lord will be a light to me." 22:06 God is the perfect father. 22:08 If you're in covenant relationship with you, 22:11 His promise is I will be your God 22:13 and you will be My children. 22:15 As a child of God, when you fall, 22:18 He is the perfect father. 22:20 He is going to come pick you up, 22:22 bandage you up. 22:24 And He doesn't quit loving you when you fall. 22:28 Listen to what Paul says in Romans 8:38-39. 22:32 He says, "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, 22:35 nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 22:38 nor things present nor things to come, 22:41 nor height nor depth," 22:43 I think he's run out of things, but then to make sure he says, 22:47 "nor any other created thing, 22:50 shall be able to separate us from the love of God 22:54 which is in Christ Jesus." 22:57 God's love for you is unconditional. 22:59 And if you're a sinner, 23:01 all you have to do when you sin 23:03 is call out and confess your sin. 23:07 And again, 1 John 1:9 23:09 "He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin 23:13 and cleanse you of all unrighteousness." 23:15 Now, let's talk about the possibility of entering 23:22 into a covenant relationship with the Lord, 23:24 of accepting His gift of salvation by grace, 23:28 only to carelessly 23:31 or worse intentionally walk away, 23:35 leaving this gift in the dust. 23:37 Let me tell you something. 23:38 Apathy is a dangerous heart condition. 23:42 And I believe apathy. 23:44 When we don't love God, 23:46 when we don't walk according to His purpose, 23:49 that's what leads to apostasy. 23:51 Apostasy is a biblical concept. 23:56 Now the implications of apostasy are hotly debated. 24:02 Some will say, 24:04 "Oh, people who apostatize were never really saved." 24:08 Others will say, 24:09 "Oh, you can't change 24:11 God's plan of sovereign election." 24:15 Well, Israel was God's elect people. 24:20 They were selected by God to be the nation 24:24 that would take His gospel to every nation of the world. 24:30 And it was the gospel. 24:31 Hebrews 1:3 says, 24:33 "Hey, they had the same gospel message 24:35 preached to them that we had to us." 24:37 But it didn't do them any good 24:39 because it says he didn't profit them 24:42 because he didn't mix the message with faith. 24:46 And we know that God says that He wants to save all men. 24:51 Well, actually Paul says that to 1 Timothy, 24:53 in 1 Timothy 2:4, 24:55 "That God wants all men to come into the knowledge, 25:00 the saving knowledge of the Savior. 25:02 He wants all men to know the truth and to be saved." 25:07 Now, so, some say, well, they weren't really saved, 25:11 some say, hey, 25:13 if you apostatize that means that. 25:15 I mean, it can't be, 25:17 you can't go against 25:18 God's sovereign will of election. 25:21 Then others say, 25:22 and I'm in this camp 25:24 that God never violates our freewill. 25:28 Salvation is His gift. 25:30 He gives it, He offers it to us. 25:33 It's our choice to receive it. 25:35 But it's our choice if we decide 25:38 we're gonna change direction. 25:41 If we reject Him, 25:42 freewill is something God never violates. 25:46 Apostasy in the Old Testament 25:50 is explained as religious unfaithfulness, 25:52 sinning against the Lord, 25:54 rebelling intentionally, falling away, backsliding. 25:59 And I love what Paul, 26:01 how Paul warns us 26:04 in his first letter to the Corinthians. 26:07 He's talking, giving a brief history 26:09 of the wanderings of the Israel nation. 26:14 God's elect people, His covenant people. 26:17 He tells of their transgressions 26:19 and how God keeps trying to call them 26:21 back into relationship 26:23 until they finally exhaust the Lord's patience. 26:26 Paul explains that God's judgment against them 26:30 was a warning to Christians. 26:32 And he concludes by this statement. 26:36 1 Corinthians 10:12, 26:40 "Therefore, 26:42 let him who thinks he stands 26:45 take heed, lest he fall." 26:50 In the New Testament, apostasia, 26:54 the word for apostasy is only used twice, 26:56 but frequently, the concept is there. 27:01 We see it as turning away from God, 27:04 falling away defection. 27:06 And the related noun is divorce. 27:09 When we fall away from God, it's like, we're saying, yeah, 27:13 I was married to you once, my maker was my husband, 27:16 but let's just call this off. 27:19 We'll divorce. 27:21 Let's look at some of the warnings, 27:22 'cause I don't want you to go by Shelley Quinn's word. 27:25 You know, it doesn't make 27:26 a hill of beans a difference what I say. 27:28 What's important is what the Bible has to say. 27:33 So let's look at some of the warnings 27:36 to Christians in the New Testament. 27:39 In 2 Peter 2:1-22. 27:43 All of those 22 verses, 27:46 the Apostle Peter is issuing 27:49 a strong alert against the possible danger 27:52 of falling away from the Lord. 27:54 He warns up the seduction of false teachers 27:59 who corrupt good morals. 28:01 He's talking to Christians, 28:03 he's talking about falling away. 28:05 He says they corrupt good morals 28:07 by speaking great swelling words of emptiness. 28:14 What is their allure? 28:16 The lofty expressions of liberty 28:21 from the restrictions of God's Word. 28:25 They teach people to walk after the flesh, he says. 28:28 They delude Christians 28:30 who at one time adhered to the truth, he says. 28:34 Turning them aside from the way of righteousness, 28:38 of walking in God's path of life 28:42 and from the Holy commandment. 28:44 Listen, how he concludes this. 28:46 This is 2 Peter 2:20-22, 28:51 well this ought to get your attention. 28:54 "For if, after they have escaped 28:58 the pollutions of the world 28:59 through the knowledge of the Lord 29:00 and Savior Jesus Christ," 29:02 there's only one way to escape and that is to be saved." 29:06 And he's saying, "If after this has happened, 29:10 they are again entangled in them, 29:14 in the pollutions of the world. 29:16 He says, and they are overcome, 29:20 the latter end is worse than the beginning. 29:22 For it would have been better for them 29:24 not to have known 29:25 the way of righteousness than having known it, 29:29 to turn away 29:32 from the holy commandment delivered to them. 29:35 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 29:41 'A dog returns to his own vomit,' 29:45 and, 'a sow, having washed, 29:47 to her wallowing in the mire.'" 29:51 Now he goes on in the next chapter. 29:54 2 Peter 3:16-18 here 29:58 he's speaking of Paul's writings. 30:00 And he says, 30:02 "Okay, I admit 30:04 some things that Paul writes are hard to understand 30:07 which untaught and unstable people twist 30:12 to their own destruction 30:14 as they do the rest of the scriptures." 30:17 Let me tell you something. 30:19 God changed my life through using Bible software. 30:23 You know what I did when God 30:25 first called me to full-time ministry? 30:28 When I was studying a topic and I still do this, 30:32 I printed out every scripture from Genesis to Revelation, 30:38 because you can't just pluck a scripture 30:41 out of context and then build a doctrine, a teaching on that. 30:47 No, it has to be according to the message 30:50 of entire Scripture. 30:52 So he says to them, "You therefore beloved," 30:57 he is speaking 30:59 to his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, 31:02 "beware lest you also fall 31:08 from your own steadfastness 31:10 being led away in the error of the wicked." 31:12 Don't fall away from your steadfastness. 31:16 Now he says, "But grow in grace." 31:19 It's not just a one-time thing. 31:23 Grace is God's unearned, 31:27 unmerited gifts 31:32 that are His divine assistance for salvation. 31:36 The greatest gift was Jesus Christ. 31:38 The next greatest gift 31:40 is the Holy Spirit and His Word. 31:41 He says, "Grow in grace 31:44 and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 31:47 But I want you to see 31:49 what the author of Hebrews has to say. 31:52 We're gonna begin Hebrews 3:12, 31:54 "Beware brethren, " again, 31:58 he's talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ, 32:02 "lest there be in any of you, 32:06 an evil heart of unbelief 32:08 in departing from the living God." 32:12 This warning to Christians 32:15 concerns the possibility 32:18 of detouring from God's path of life, 32:21 His narrow path, 32:23 according to Jesus and walking away 32:25 from the source of His grace. 32:27 If we draw back from following in the footsteps of Jesus, 32:32 we are departing from the living God. 32:34 Now let's look at Hebrews Chapter 10, 32:37 well, this is heavy. 32:39 This is heavy stuff, but we got to hear it. 32:42 Hebrews 10, we'll begin with verse 26. 32:45 He says, "If we sin willfully," and in the Greek, 32:51 this is a determined, deliberate, 32:54 premeditated sin and it implies a habitual sin. 32:59 "If we sin willfully, 33:01 after we have received the knowledge of the truth." 33:05 Their knowledge denotes specific knowledge, 33:08 not just a general knowledge. 33:11 And I'll give you an example. 33:13 Judas Iscariot, 33:14 he didn't have lack of knowledge. 33:17 What he had was lack of faith. 33:19 And he apostatized. 33:21 So it says, "If we sin willfully 33:23 after we have received the knowledge of the truth, 33:26 there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 33:31 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment 33:35 and fiery indignation, 33:38 which will devour the adversaries." 33:41 Then he says, "Anyone who has rejected Moses' law 33:45 dies without mercy 33:46 on the testimony of two or three witnesses." 33:49 Now catch this, 33:50 "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, 33:54 will he be thought worthy 33:56 who trampled the Son of God underfoot, 34:01 and counted the blood of the covenant 34:07 by which he was sanctified a common thing, 34:13 and insulted the Spirit of grace?" 34:18 You know, the writers of Hebrew in verse 13, I mean, 34:21 in Chapter 13 says 34:23 "That Christ blood is the blood of the everlasting covenant." 34:28 He ratified the new covenant, 34:31 which by the way, new means a new phase. 34:34 Like when we say new moon, it means renewed. 34:37 God is renewing His covenant with us 34:40 and Christ blood ratified the new covenant, 34:44 just as Moses in the Old Testament 34:48 ratified the old covenant 34:50 with the blood of animals. 34:55 They all pointed to Jesus Christ. 34:58 So to turn away from Christ sacrifice 35:00 and only His blood can cleanse us from sin. 35:04 If we turn away from His sacrifice, 35:07 there is no alternative sacrifice for sin. 35:10 So it goes on. 35:12 Let's jump down to Hebrews 10:35. 35:15 'Cause he's talking about drawing back 35:18 from living in faith. 35:20 "Therefore, he says, 35:22 do not cast away your confidence, 35:23 which has great reward. 35:25 For you have need of endurance." 35:29 Endurance means to remain, to abide, to patiently suffer. 35:33 "You have need of endurance, so that after," 35:39 catch that word, 35:41 "you need of endurance 35:42 so that after you've done the will of God, 35:45 you may receive the promise: 35:47 'For yet a little while, 35:48 and He who is coming will come and will not tarry." 35:52 And now he's quoting God. 35:54 He says, "The just shall live by faith, 35:57 but if anyone draws back, 35:59 My soul has no pleasure in him." 36:01 You know, that's just a few of the New Testament warnings, 36:05 but it does show that believers can apostatize. 36:10 They must remain, 36:12 their warnings to remain to abide in Jesus 36:15 and not turn away from following Him, 36:18 from obeying God's holy commandments, 36:21 not to sin willfully, 36:22 not to fall from our steadfastness. 36:25 Now, let's get to all of that foundation. 36:29 Let's get to 2 Timothy Chapter 2. 36:33 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Paul begins and he says, 36:40 "This is a faithful thing: For if we died with Him, 36:44 we shall also reign with Him." 36:46 If we endure, excuse me. 36:49 "If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. 36:52 If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. 36:55 If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 37:00 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, 37:05 He cannot deny Himself." 37:07 Word of warning or a word of comfort? 37:10 Let's take this apart. 37:12 Verse 11, 2 Timothy 2:11, 37:15 "If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him." 37:18 This is talking about 37:19 the doctrine of the substitutionary death 37:21 of Jesus Christ on the cross for us. 37:24 And when we accept Him as our Savior, 37:27 we are to die to self and sin to be born again 37:32 with God's recreated life. 37:35 And Titus tells us 37:36 it's not by works of righteousness, 37:38 which we have done, 37:39 but by the regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 37:44 that's how He saves us. 37:47 We are baptized by the Holy Spirit 37:50 when we're born again, and we are to abide in Him. 37:53 Now Paul continues in verse 12. 37:56 He says, "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." 38:00 What does endure mean? 38:01 Remember, if we remain, 38:04 if we abide, if we suffer patiently, 38:08 Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, 38:12 "If you endure to the end, you will be saved. 38:19 But there is that component of endurance. 38:24 The author of Hebrews had explained our endurance 38:29 when he said in Hebrews 10:36 38:32 that we must endure 38:35 so that after we have done God's will, 38:38 we will receive the promise 38:40 and Christ by faithful followers. 38:43 What Paul is intimidating here is referring to 38:47 is that we receive the promise of reigning with Christ 38:50 here on earth and throughout eternity if we endure. 38:55 Now continuing on in verse 12, he says, 38:57 "If we deny Him, he will also deny us." 39:00 Deny him here. 39:02 The Greek verb is future. 39:06 If we shall deny Him, He will deny us. 39:11 Denying God does not require 39:15 a verbal rejection of Him. 39:20 This is habitual disregard of His commandments, 39:25 not walking in obedience. 39:27 Deliberate sin is a denial of Christ. 39:31 If we reject His authority and refuse to abide in Him 39:37 and the power of His grace, 39:39 we're consequently disowning Him. 39:42 Now, Paul identifies the mindset of these 39:45 people saying, "Hey, they profess to know God, 39:49 but in works they deny Him." 39:51 And he calls them disobedient and disqualified. 39:55 Jude says this, 39:57 there's only one chapter in Jude, 39:59 but Jude 1:3-5 says, 40:03 "Contend earnestly for the faith 40:04 which was once for all delivered to the saints. 40:07 For certain men have crept in, unnoticed, 40:10 ungodly men who turned the grace of our God 40:14 into lewdness." 40:16 That means they're turning grace into, 40:19 hey don't worry, just do what you want to do. 40:23 God loves you. 40:24 But he says, 40:26 they deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. 40:29 Whoa! 40:31 Then he goes on and says, 40:32 "I want to remind you that the Lord 40:35 having saved the people out of the land of Egypt." 40:38 He saved them before He even spoke 40:40 the Ten Commandments 40:42 before they entered into covenant with Him. 40:45 "Afterward, He destroyed those who did not believe." 40:51 Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:33, 40:55 "Whoever denies Me before men, him, 40:58 I will also deny 41:00 before My Father who is in heaven." 41:03 Mercy. 41:04 Now let me make something clear. 41:06 He is not talking about a temporary 41:09 wavering of faith like Peter had. 41:12 When Peter denied Christ, he immediately, 41:16 contrition came over him. 41:18 He went outside and wept bitterly and repented. 41:21 He's talking about when Jesus says, 41:24 whoever denies Me. 41:25 He's saying, if you fall away, if you don't remain steadfast, 41:29 if you don't follow Me, 41:31 then you have the fearful reality 41:32 of one day I will deny you before My Father. 41:37 Hebrews 3:14, says, 41:41 "We have become partakers of Christ." 41:44 If now that's the biggest 41:47 two letter word in all vocabulary. 41:51 "We have become partakers of Christ if..." 41:55 So it hinges on what's gonna follow. 41:57 "We hold the beginning of our confidence 42:01 steadfast to the end." 42:04 It's all about enduring. 42:06 "While it is said: 42:08 'Today, if you hear His voice, 42:09 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.' 42:11 For who, having heard, rebelled? 42:14 Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, 42:17 led by Moses? 42:18 Now with whom was He angry for forty years? 42:21 Was it not with those who sinned, 42:23 whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 42:25 And to whom did He swear 42:27 that they would not enter His rest, 42:29 but to those who did not obey? 42:33 So we see that they could not enter 42:37 because of unbelief." 42:40 God is faithful to His promises. 42:43 God is faithful to His warnings. 42:46 God cannot act contrary to His holy nature. 42:52 He is a merciful, loving God, 42:54 but He is also a God of justice. 42:58 We know that His mercies are new every morning. 43:01 And, boy, He is patient with us, hallelujah. 43:04 But God's judgment on the wilderness generation 43:08 serves as a cautionary tale to us. 43:12 If we continue in unfaithfulness, 43:15 if we continue to turn our backs on the Lord, 43:18 and if we're seeking idols of materialism 43:21 and all of our pleasures, 43:24 then we need to consider this next verse. 43:29 2 Timothy 2:13. 43:32 Here's the question. 43:34 Word of comfort or word of warning? 43:37 "If we are faithless, He remains faithful. 43:40 He cannot deny Himself." 43:42 If we do not believe in God's power to save. 43:47 If we're unfaithful to Him, He cannot help, 43:51 but remain faithful 43:52 to His righteous character in His sure Word. 43:56 His promises are trustworthy. 43:59 He will faithfully reward all who live by faith, 44:04 never forsaking the one who trust Him, 44:06 but He will be equally faithful to His promises 44:10 of punishment for the wicked. 44:12 Did you know that God anguishes over anytime 44:17 someone breaks covenant with Him? 44:19 It breaks His heart. 44:21 He is saddened by the loss of relationship 44:25 over and over His covenant promises. 44:27 "Come walk in obedience, I will be your God. 44:31 You will be My people." 44:33 And His unfailing love 44:36 the concern of our protective Father, 44:40 our patient Father is our safe guard 44:44 because Peter wrote that it is through our faith 44:48 and the provision of His grace 44:49 that we are kept by His power for salvation. 44:53 It's all up to God, even so, 44:58 even so 45:00 grace does not eliminate free will. 45:06 Hear what I'm saying. 45:09 God made you a creature of free will. 45:14 He will not ever violate that principle. 45:20 It is possible to have a form of godliness, 45:24 but deny its power. 45:26 It is possible to choose, 45:28 to be yoked with Christ 45:31 and to one day throw off that yoke. 45:35 And that breaks the heart of our loving God. 45:38 It is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit, 45:42 to resist the Holy Spirit. 45:45 And even to quench the Holy Spirit of God. 45:49 You know what? 45:50 We're leaky vessels. 45:51 We need to pray every day 45:53 to be filled afresh with His Holy Spirit. 45:56 In Matthew 25, 45:59 Jesus told a parable about His second coming, 46:03 the parable of the 10 virgins. 46:07 It paints a tragic picture. 46:09 All 10 were virgins. 46:11 All 10 were members of the church. 46:13 All 10 had a lamp. 46:14 All 10 had the word profession. 46:17 They were all waiting for His return, 46:20 but five were foolish and had no oil for their lamp. 46:25 They didn't have the Holy Spirit. 46:28 How sad it is to think that they could have 46:31 experienced grace at one time. 46:33 And because they weren't steadfast, 46:36 they fell away unaware. 46:38 It's all the more devastating, 46:40 if you think that a blind guide taught them 46:43 an unbalanced teaching on grace. 46:48 Matthew 7:21-23. 46:53 These are the words that the Lord, 46:54 our Lord Jesus Christ. 46:58 Matthew 7:21-23, 47:01 "Not everyone who says to Me, 47:04 'Lord, Lord, ' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 47:06 but he who does 47:09 the will of My Father in heaven." 47:13 God is love. 47:16 His government is a government of love. 47:19 It is based on His Ten Commandments, 47:22 which were the heart of the old covenant 47:24 and the heart of the new. 47:25 In the new covenant God says in Hebrews 8, 47:27 "I'll write my laws on your heart, 47:31 put them in your mind." 47:33 But Jesus says, 47:35 "If we don't do the will of His Father in heaven, 47:40 we won't enter the kingdom. 47:41 "Many will say to me in that day, 47:44 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? 47:49 Cast out demons in Your name? 47:52 And done many wonders in Your name? 47:55 And I will declare to them," 47:58 this is Jesus talking to people 48:01 who are in the church and working on His behalf. 48:04 "I never knew you, 48:05 depart from Me you who practice lawlessness." 48:12 Some live as if God has no government. 48:17 As if He has no law, 48:21 they ignore the Ten Commandments. 48:22 In 1 John 3:4, it says that 48:25 "Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness." 48:29 Sin is lawlessness. 48:33 What's the penalty for sin? 48:35 Death. 48:38 Do we think we stand? 48:40 Ooh, he need to take heed. 48:43 Take heed, lest we fall. 48:46 To abuse 48:48 the covenant relationship of grace by disobedience 48:52 is to break covenant with God. 48:55 We have to be watchful. 48:57 We have to guard 49:00 the precious relationship of grace, 49:04 a father and child, of bride and husband, 49:07 with the Lord of grace. 49:10 We have to pray for grace for God's divine, 49:14 supernatural assistance to grow in Christian virtues. 49:21 Yes, it takes effort, 49:23 but it's a spirit empowered effort. 49:27 Let me tell you God promise. 49:29 He promises, 49:31 He will cause you to be what He... 49:34 He will cause you to be what He calls you to be. 49:38 In Philippians 1:6, He says that 49:42 "He will complete the good work 49:43 that He has begun in you." 49:45 And in Philippians 2:12, Paul says, 49:48 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, 49:51 as you have always obeyed, not just in my presence, 49:55 but now much more in my absence, 49:57 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." 50:03 Ooh, I used to stop there and I did fear. 50:06 I didn't have assurance of salvation 50:10 until I knew what it was based upon 50:13 and that I could by God's grace meet that. 50:16 And listen to what he says. 50:18 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 50:21 for it is God who works in you. 50:25 He said, don't do it in your own power. 50:27 It is God who works in you 50:30 to will and to do His good pleasure. 50:34 First, He lines our will up with His will. 50:37 That's the first step. 50:38 And when we take a step of faith, 50:41 the power of the Holy Spirit shows up 50:44 and He works in us to do. 50:47 Oh! 50:48 Let us stand in grace. 50:50 Let us grow in grace. 50:51 Let us find our strength in grace. 50:54 As long as we walk by faith, 50:57 no trial can cause us 51:00 to draw away from God's protective hand. 51:03 As long as we love the truth and abide in the truth, 51:08 we won't seek teachings that please our itching ears. 51:13 We won't twist scripture to our own destruction 51:16 and fall away from grace. 51:18 If we walk in the light of God's Word with a heart 51:24 that is renewed by the imparted 51:27 and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, 51:32 asking daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit, 51:35 we will remain faithful to the Lord. 51:39 By His grace, we'll be overcomers. 51:41 We will not be blotted out of the Book of Life 51:46 if we will only trust and obey. 51:51 And now we have my wonderful brother, 51:55 Tim Parton, 51:57 who is going to sing those beautiful words 52:00 of how we have assurance of salvation in Christ. 52:13 When we walk with the Lord 52:16 In the light of His Word 52:20 What a glory 52:22 He sheds on our way 52:27 While we do His good will 52:32 He abides with us still 52:36 And with all who will trust and obey 52:48 But we never can prove 52:52 The delights of His love 52:57 Until all on the altar we lay 53:04 For the favor He shows 53:08 And the love He bestows 53:11 Are for those who will trust and obey 53:20 Trust and obey 53:24 For there's no other way 53:28 To be happy in Jesus 53:34 But to trust and obey 53:39 Trust and obey 53:43 For there's no other way 53:50 To be happy 53:52 in Jesus 53:57 But to trust 54:01 and obey 54:22 Thank you, Tim. 54:24 Trust and obey. 54:28 That is how you have assurance 54:32 that you are in covenant relationship 54:35 with our Lord. 54:37 And as long as you remain in covenant with Him, 54:41 you can count 54:44 on His divine assistance to save you. 54:49 You know, God showed me one time 54:53 that grace comes down 54:57 through a big pipeline from heaven, 55:01 the greatest gifts of grace. 55:04 And if we understand His greatest gifts of grace, 55:06 we'll understand the effects of grace. 55:09 His greatest gifts of grace are Jesus Christ. 55:15 God who became a man who humbled Himself 55:20 to take on our flesh 55:21 and then was obedient as a human being, 55:26 doing only what the Father said. 55:29 Speaking only what the Father told Him to. 55:31 He was obedient to the point of dying on the cross 55:35 for you and for me. 55:37 And then the second greatest gift of grace 55:41 is the Holy Spirit. 55:43 Oh! 55:45 I want to encourage you, pray daily for the Holy Spirit. 55:51 And if you don't know, if God is even real, 55:56 ask Him to touch you by His Holy Spirit. 56:00 The Holy Spirit, 56:01 one of His primary jobs is to convince us of truth 56:06 and convict us of sin. 56:08 And once you see 56:11 that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, 56:14 confession is the clearing house 56:16 of the conscience. 56:17 All you have to do is go before Him and say, 56:20 "Lord, I need You. 56:22 Forgive me of my sins. 56:24 Be my Lord. Be my Savior." 56:26 He will. 56:27 He will. 56:29 1 John 1:9 says, 56:30 "He will cleanse you of all unrighteousness. 56:34 He will forgive you of your sin." 56:36 Oh! 56:37 My friend, and the Word of God 56:41 is the next most wonderful gift. 56:43 This is a word that is a lamp to our feet. 56:46 It's how God speaks to us. 56:48 So get into His Word. 56:52 And when you understand those gifts, 56:54 see the effects God has given us grace 56:58 for divine assistance and for salvation. 57:03 Please don't fall into the trap of thinking 57:08 once saved, always saved. 57:10 We must endure to the end. |
Revised 2021-03-22