November 20, 2025 • 58 mins
Pastor Lance concludes the series with a final exhortation: are you certain of where you'll end up when you die, and does your life display the faithfulness of a true Christian?
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Father, thank you for today. Thank You that we can gather
together to study your word or we are a blessed people to be
able to look into the Word of the Lord and to understand what
it is you have for us. And our prayer tonight is that
you would continue to open our hearts and minds to behold the
beauty of the Lord. Help us to see things as they
really are, as You've intended them to be for our lives, that
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we might truly follow and serve You with all of our hearts.
We thank you Lord, for this opportunity you've given to us.
May we redeem this time that we might be used of you in days
ahead for the glory of your Kingdom until you come again, as
you most surely will, in Jesus name, Amen.
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This morning I had the opportunity to preach at the
memorial service for Helen Macias.
It was a great time. Interesting that someone came up
to me afterwards and said wow, you were just so sweet and so
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soft. To which I said, I am always
sweet and soft. I'm like soft serve ice cream.
And she laughed and said not really, but that's OK.
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But it was a a great time celebrating the life of someone
who knew they were going to be go home and be with the Lord.
When I visited Helen last week in the hospital, she was ready
to to go home. That's one thing about the
believer. They're, they're always ready to
go home when God's going to callthem.
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They, they never are reluctant to leave.
They don't necessarily know all that's going to happen once they
pass from this life to the next,but they know that their
destination is heaven and they cherish that opportunity And
uniquely that when you go visit someone who's dying, they become
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the encourager more than you arethe encourager.
Those who know the Lord become the great encouragers at the
time of death. And Helen was a a great
encouragement to me. I went there to pray with her.
I, I went there to be with her, her husband, only to realize
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that she, she encouraged me a lot more than I could ever
encourage her. She was about to embark in the
glory. I'm not.
But she was, and she knew where she was going to go.
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I wonder if you know for certainthat if you were to die today
that your destiny would be in the presence of our Lord.
I wonder if you have the ironclad assurance, without any
reservation or hesitation, that heaven is your destiny, because
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all believers truly have that. But it's interesting to note
that there are many people who are professing believers who
think they're on the way to heaven but will not end up
there. That's a tragedy that that's the
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reason we've embarked on the series about what is a Christian
so that there wouldn't be any confusion in your mind or those
you come in contact with about their eternal destiny.
But there's always been a question over the years, ever
since the birth of the church, about people who who think
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they're Christians, but in reality they're not.
Over 250 years ago, it was Jonathan Edwards who was the
preacher that instigated the Great Awakening.
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And in the 1730s and 40s, he wasthe main instrument of God to
preach the gospel and to bring about the great revival in
America. After the the peak of that
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revival, Edwards wrote a treaty concerning religious affection
to deal with the problem, not unlike those that we face today.
The matter of evidence in true conversion.
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Many people want the blessing ofsalvation, especially eternal
security, but nothing more. In the explosive drama of the
Great Awakening, it seemed as though conversions were
occurring in great numbers. However, it didn't take long to
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realize that some of the clean conversions were not genuine.
While various excesses and heightened emotional experiences
were common, scores of people didn't demonstrate any evidence
in their lives to verify their claim to know and love Jesus
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Christ, which led critics to attack the Great Awakening,
contending it was nothing but a big emotional bath without any
true conversions. Thus, partly in defense of true
conversion and partly in to expose false conversions,
Jonathan Edwards took up his penand began to write a treaty
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concerning religious affection. He came to this simple
conclusion. The supreme proof of a true
conversion is what he called holy affections, which is a zeal
for holy things and a longing after God and personal holiness.
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He made a careful distinction between saving versus common
operations of the Holy Spirit. Saving operations obviously
produce salvation. Common operations of the Holy
Spirit, he said, May sober, arrest and convict men, and may
even bring them to what at firstappears to be repentance in
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faith. Yet these influences fall short
of inward saving renewal. How can you tell whether the
Holy Spirit has performed a saving operation, as the
principal evidence of life is motion?
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Edwards wrote, So the principal evidence of saving grace is
wholly living, he said. True salvation always produces
an abiding change of nature in atrue convert.
Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a
confession of conversion, it must be understood that this
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individual is not a Christian. In the very year Edwards's
treaty was published, popular teaching asserted that, to the
contrary, the only real evidenceof true salvation is a feeling
based on experience, usually theexperience at the moment of the
alleged conversion. And that teaching introduced the
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prevalent but erroneous concept that a person's true spiritual
state is known by a past experience rather than a present
pursuit of holiness. So 250 years ago, Jonathan
Edwards was concerned that the fact that there were multitudes
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of people professing Christianity, but very few of
the multitude expressing true Christianity. 200 years later,
Harry Ironside became the pastorof Memorial or Moody Memorial
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Church in Chicago. He wrote these words.
Perhaps someone may ask, but does it make no difference to
God what I am myself? May I live on in my sins and
still be saved? No, assuredly not.
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But this brings in another line of truth.
The moment one believes the gospel, he is born again and
receives a new life and nature, a nature that hates sin and
loves holiness. If you have come to Jesus and
trusted Him, do you not realize the truth of this?
Do you not now hate and detest the wicked things that once gave
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you a certain degree of the light?
Do you not find within yourself a new craving for goodness, a
longing after holiness, and a thirst for righteousness?
All this is the evidence of a new nature, and as you walk with
God you will find that daily thepower of the indwelling Holy
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Spirit will give you practical deliverance from the dominion of
sin. Doctor Ironside would face the
same problem that Jonathan Edwards faced, the same problem
that the writers of the Gospels and the Epistles faced, that
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people would profess a relationship with Christ but
live contrary to that profession.
Profession. Some 50 years later, Jeffrey
Wilson would pick up his pen andwrite these words.
Today's Christianity is in a state of disarray and decay, and
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the condition is deteriorating year by year.
The truth of God's Word has beenwatered down and compromised to
reach a common denominator that will appeal to and accommodate
the largest number of participants.
The result is a hybrid Christianity which is
essentially man centered, materialistic and worldly, and
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shamefully dishonouring to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The shameful degeneracy is due in large part to the erroneous
gospel that is presented by manytoday around the world.
He's right. You listen to preachers on the
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radio and on TV and they presentto you a pseudo gospel and it's
not even recognizable. And people by the droves believe
in that kind of gospel. In fact, it was said that all
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who say they have accepted Christ are enthusiastically
received as Christians, even if they're they're supposed faith
later gives way to a persistent pattern of disobedience, gross
sin, or hostile unbelief. Now, can that possibly be true,
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that someone who professes Christianity can live in want
and sin in rebellion against Godand live in unbelief?
One writer even said it this way.
It is possible, even probable, that when a believer out of
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fellowship falls for certain types of philosophy, if he is a
logical thinker, he will become an unbelieving believer.
Yet believers who become agnostics are still saved.
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They are still born again. You can even become an atheist.
But if you once accepted Christ as Savior, you cannot lose your
salvation even though you deny God.
End Quote that that is a blatantlie that is not true.
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Can someone actually be labeled an unbelieving believer?
Can someone actually who says they believe in God all of a
sudden become agnostic or even an atheist?
But because he professed Christianity or because he had a
past experience at one time, there will be some preachers
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that will confirm them in that state.
Yet Jesus said these words. Matthew 1033.
Whoever shall deny me, I will deny before my Father who is in
heaven. That's what Jesus said the
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Apostle Paul would write in Second Timothy 2 verse #12 If we
deny him, he also will deny us. Why?
Because God is faithful to His Word.
It will keep His Word. And so 11 weeks ago, we embarked
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on this journey to help people in our church understand exactly
what a Christian is. That's the question we've
answered, and not to its fullestextent at all, but at least
we've given you some principles that will help you understand
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true Christianity. A Christian is known by #1 His
decision. Luke 923 If any man come after
me, let him deny himself, take his cross and follow me.
That's the invitation to salvation.
That's the gospel as Jesus himself presents it.
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And the person who has made thatdecision is best defined in
Philippians 3 verse #3 that we are the marked ones.
We worship God in spirit. We glory only in Christ Jesus
and put no confidence in the flesh.
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And the person who is defined that way is described in Second
Corinthians 5/17, that if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creation. Old things are passed away
beyond all things have become new.
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The believer is described as being in Christ, and Christ is
in him. And the person who is a true
Christian is marked by the fact that they have a declaration
that they without hesitation make.
Matthew 1616 Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
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God. Every believer knows that Jesus
is God in the flesh. Every cult denies that Jesus is
God in the flesh. And Christians are are
dedicated. They are dedicated to live for
Christ. Philippians 121 For to me, to
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live is Christ, to die is gain. They're dedicated to living only
for Christ and not themselves. They also live a life of
denunciation. Colossians 318.
They denounce anything that willcause their members to fall into
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sin, and so they are involved inthe principle of mortification,
putting to death those members that would cause them to turn
away from the Lord. That Christian is also known by
his devotion. Second Corinthians 59 Paul said
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we make our ambition to please the Christ.
The Christian is devoted to pleasing, not man, not even
pleasing himself, but pleasing the Lord.
That's his devotion. And then the Christian is known
by his disassociation, for he refuses to associate with the
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world anymore. James 4/4 says that whoever is a
friend of the world is the enemyof God and last week it was the
fact that a Christian is known by determination.
First Corinthians 22 where Paul said I determined to know
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nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
The Bible is very clear about Christianity.
The Bible is very clear about what describes the Christian,
what defines a Christian, what aChristian is made of simply
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because they are in Christ and Christ is in them.
Tonight, as we come to the end of our study, a Christian is
known by destination. They know where they're going.
They know for certain that if they were to die today, they
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would spend eternity with the Lord Jesus.
It's very important because thatdestination is is solidified by
5 principles, and those five principles then are seen in one
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principle. So you might adhere to the five
principles that solidify your eternal destiny, but if the one
principle is not seen, then you're not a true believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ. So important to understand this.
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It's it's always good to be in the know.
So the Bible says these words inRomans 828.
For we know that all things worktogether for good to those who
love God and are called according to his purpose.
Christians know that that's something they can be assured
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of. So Paul would say, we know that
all things work together for good because we love God and
have been called according to his purpose.
Paul also said in Second Timothyone verse #12 I know whom I
believe, and then persuaded thathe is able to keep that which
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I've committed unto him. Until that day Paul didn't say I
know in what I believe, althoughhe did.
He says I know in whom I believe, and I'm absolutely
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed
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to him. And then John would say these
words in first John chapter 5, verse 11.
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in the Son. He who has a Son has life.
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He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
And John's, the whole epistle infirst John is about the moral
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test, the doctrinal test, the relational test, three main
tests that he gives over and over again in chapter 1, chapter
2, chapter 3, and chapter 4. And then says, these things are
written that you may know that you have eternal life if you
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take the moral test, if you, if you take the doctrinal test, if
you take the relational test andyou pass, then you know you have
eternal life. But if you flunk, then you don't
know you have eternal life. Just that simple.
And so we come to a place where the believer is known by his
destination. He knows where he's going.
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He has the ironclad assurance that heaven is his destiny.
Every believer has that assurance.
If you don't have that assurance, it could be you're
not a believer. It could be that you really
don't know the Christ. Because if you know Christ and
you understand true Christianity, the assurance of
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your eternal destiny is secure in Jesus Christ our Lord.
That the doctrine of eternal security is such a, a pivotal
doctrine in in the life of the Christian and it's solidified by
5 principles. Let me give them to you.
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My eternal destiny is solidified#1 by the promises of God.
Our God is faithful. He's true, He cannot lie.
He makes a promise, He keeps it.John 5 verse #24 truly, truly, I
say to you, Hugh hears my word and believes him who sent Me has
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eternal life and does not come into judgment, but is passed out
of death into life. That's a promise, and your
eternal destiny is solidified bythat promise.
He would say in John 6 verse #37All that the Father gives me
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will come to me, and the one whocomes to me I will certainly not
cast out. Verse 39 This is the will of him
who sent me, that of all that Hehas given me, I lose nothing and
raise it up on the last day. God makes a promise.
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All that come to me I will not cast out.
Then again in John 10 verse 27, my sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them,
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and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of
my hand. What a promise, and that promise
solidifies my eternal destiny. Paul would say in Philippians
one verse #6 being confident of this very thing, that he who
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began a good work in you will complete that work.
And Romans 8 tells us that that once you have been called and
because you have been predestined you, you will be
justified. And all those that are justified
will ultimately be glorified. That is the promise that God
himself gives Romans 11/29 says that the gifts and calling of
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God are irrevocable. God's not going to say I called
you, you came to me, but now I'mresending the call.
God doesn't do that simply because He's made a promise,
that great version John 316, that God still loved the world,
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that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
everlasting life again. It's a promise that solidifies
my eternal destiny. Then of course, in John 14,
Christ said to his men that in my Father's house are many
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mansions. If it were not so, if it wasn't
true, I would have told you. And so I go and prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and I will receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.
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That's just a beautiful promise.So your eternal destination is
solidified by the promises of God #2 it is solidified by the
power of God. God can keep his promises
because he's all powerful and Hecan always accomplish what He's
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promised. So the Bible says in first Peter
chapter one verse #3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His mercy, His great mercy has
caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an
inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and
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will not fade away, reserved in heaven.
For you who are protected by thepower of God, your inheritance
that's imperishable, that is undefiled, is kept by the power
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of God, and God is the almighty God, the all powerful God.
And so your eternal destination that's been reserved in heaven
is kept by the all powerful God.Jude 24 says.
He is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand
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in the presence of His glory, blameless.
With great joy. He's able to do that.
That's why Paul said in Second Timothy 112 that he knew in whom
he believed and was persuaded that his God would keep him and
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protect him to the very end. Because the power of God
solidifies your eternal destiny.Because the promises of God
solidify your eternal destiny #3The purposes of God solidify
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your eternal destiny. Ephesians chapter one verse #3
Blessed be the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we would be holyand blameless before Him in
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love. He predestined us to adoption as
sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind
intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace. God's plan as a purpose.
The purposes of God are always accomplished because He's all
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powerful and He made a promise, Paul would say in First
Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 23.
Now may the God of peace himselfsanctify you entirely, and may
your spirit and soul and body bepreserved complete without blame
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to
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pass. Again, the promise of God, the
power of God, the purposes of God to cause you to stand holy
and blameless in His presence solidifies your eternal destiny
#4 The prayers of Christ solidify your eternal destiny.
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Over in John 17 Christ said these words in verse #11 I am no
longer in the world, and yet they themselves are in the
world. And I, I come to you, Holy
Father, keep them in Your name, the name which you have given
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me, that they may be 1 Even as we are, we are.
While I was with them, I was keeping them in your name which
You have given me, and that guarded them.
And not one of them perished, but the Son of perdition, so
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.
Verse 20. I do not ask on behalf of these
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alone, but for those also who believe in me through their
word. So as Paul, I mean, as Christ
would pray on the eve of the crucifixion for His men in their
hearing, He was also praying forthose who would one day believe
in His name, that we might be 1 with the Father, as He is one
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with the Father over in Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 25.
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near
to God through Him, since He always lives to make
intercession for them. So in Hebrews 725 there's a
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promise that He will keep us forever because He lives to make
intercession for us. The prayers of Christ are always
answered in the affirmative. Why?
Because His will is God's will, for He is God.
He is one with the Father. So when the Lord prays that you
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would be kept and protected, youare kept and protected that you
might be with Him in glory. So the destination of the
believer is solidified and secured by the promises of God,
the power of God, the purpose ofGod, the prayers of Christ, and
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fourthly or fifthly, the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians one verse number #14 or verse 13 in him you also,
after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your
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salvation, having also believed you were sealed in him with the
Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge or a down
payment of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of
God's own possession, to the praise of is glory.
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In other words, the presence of the Holy Spirit is a guarantee
that we will ultimately receive the inheritance that God has
given to us. So when you look at those five
principles, you realize that oursecurity, our eternal destiny is
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solidified by what God himself does.
Yet you must understand the 6th principle because the 6th
principle will help you understand whether or not you
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really truly believe the first five and that the first five
really apply to you. And that is, although your
eternal destiny is solidified and secured by the promises of
God and the power of God, the purposes of God, the prayers of
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Christ, the presence of the HolySpirit, that eternal destiny is
seen in the perseverance of the Saints, The perseverance of the
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Saints. It's a great doctrine.
It's one that's not talked aboutmuch, but the doctrine is simply
states that your faith will always endure, always your faith
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because it's God-given. It's a gift from God is a faith
that is not fragile, nor is it afaith that is temporary.
It's a faith that's a grace giftfrom God to those who believe in
him because you can't believe unless God has granted you the
the gift of grace or the gift tobelieve or the gift to repent or
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the gift truly of faith. And that faith that he gives you
is not a fragile faith, but it'sstrong because it's based on
what God has said and who God is.
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So no matter what happens in your life, you continue to
continue on in the faith. That's what Hebrews 11 is all
about, the Great Hall of faith. None of those men or women had
fragile faith. Their faith was strong,
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especially in the face of adversity, in the vase of
suffering, in the face of hardship.
I mean, if your faith, the faiththat saves you, doesn't work
when things are bad, what good is the faith that you have?
But the faith that God grants you works best in adverse
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circumstances. The faith that God gives you
works best when there's turmoil and hardship.
The faith that God grants you istested and strengthened through
trials and suffering because that faith is not fragile.
That faith endures all the way to the end.
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The perseverance of the faith isthe doctrine that says I might
fail, but I will never fail fully or finally.
Peter failed, but he did not fail fully or finally.
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Why? Because of the perseverance of
the Saints, the truth, the doctrine that says all those who
believe in Christ will continue and always believe in Him.
They will be steadfast. They will be immovable,
immovable. They will be abounding in their
work with the Lord because of the faith that He himself has
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granted to them. So important.
So let me show you in Scripture where this is.
By the way, listen to the words of Jeremiah chapter 32.
This is so telling about the NewCovenant and the guarantee that
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all true believers will never apostasize the faith, never
defrock the faith, never become agnostic or atheists, and never
turn away from the Lord fully. And finally, Jeremiah chapter
32, verse #40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them
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that I will not turn away from them to do them good.
And I will put the fear of me intheir hearts so that they will
not turn away from me. That's a new covenant promise.
God says I'm going to do something unique and special
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with my people, Israel. I'm going to make a covenant
with them, and I will do them good, and I will put the fear of
me in their hearts. Remember Psalm 130 verse #4
There's forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Only the believer fears God. The unbeliever does not fear
God. Why?
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Because God puts the fear of Himin their hearts.
And because the fear of Him is there, they will not a guarantee
turn away from me. God's children never turn away
from Him. They don't throughout the years
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of our church's existence. 31 ofthem, to be exact.
We have baptized a slew of people are baptismal people who
have made a profession of Christianity, who have stated
that they gave their life to Christ.
Some of them were young in theirteenage years, some of them were
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even in their 20s and 30s, and some even beyond that.
And how do you know that the person who makes that testimony
of saving faith truly is saved? Time and truth go hand in hand,
do they not? Of course they do.
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And so many times over the years, we've had high school
students, college students make a profession of faith only to go
off to college, only to get married and go off and do
something and completely turn away from the Lord.
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That tells you that they simply made a profession of faith but
never truly believed in Christ. Because the guarantee of
Jeremiah 3240 is an absolute fact.
They will not turn away from me.They will not.
And this is a great a great testfor you as parents when you look
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at your children who have grown up in the church and they have
made a profession of faith. Maybe they were baptized in the
church. Maybe you supposedly LED them to
the Lord in your home while theywere young and they've grown up,
but they've gone off to college,they got married, and they
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turned their back on the Lord. They were not saved to begin
with. They just weren't because of the
guarantee of Jeremiah 32 verse #40 plus a slew of other verses.
Let me give them to you. Colossians, chapter 1.
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Colossians chapter one verse #21And although you were formerly
alienated and hostile, and mine engaged in evil deeds, this was
your unbelieving life. Yet He has now reconciled you in
His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before
Him holy and blameless, and beyond reproach.
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If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and
steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that
you have heard, which is proclaimed in all creation under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister, this is the
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way you once were. But God has reconciled you to
Himself. And how do you know that God has
reconciled to Himself if you continue steadfastly in the
faith? Because if you don't continue
steadfasting the faith, it's evident that God has not
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reconciled you to himself. Listen, the perseverance of the
Saints is a doctor that says youdo not earn saving faith by your
perseverance, but your perseverance evidences saving
faith. Very important to realize that
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because you keep on keeping on, you don't earn saving grace.
You give the evidence that you've been saved by grace.
You see that? That's what the doctrine of the
perseverance of the Saints is all about.
Look at what the Bible says in the book of first Corinthians
15. Paul says, Now I make known to
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you, brethren, the gospel which I preach to you, which also you
received, and which also you stand first to, but which also
you are saved. You heard the gospel, you were
saved by the gospel. If he says you hold fast the
word which I preach to you, unless you believed in vain,
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that's very telling. He makes it very clear.
I made note to you, brethren, the gospel.
I preach to you the gospel, the gospel in which you stand, if if
you'll fast the word of that gospel, unless of course, he
says you really didn't believe at all.
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Your belief was empty, It was futile, it made no difference.
How about this Romans 15 verse #4 For whatever was written in
earlier times was written for our instruction, set through
perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures,
we might have hope. Now may the God who gives
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perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind
with one another, according to Christ Jesus.
You see, God grants you the giftof perseverance.
The reason you persevere, the reason you don't defrock the
faith, the reason you don't apostasize the faith is because
God has granted you not just thegift of faith and not just the
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gift of belief, and not just thegift of repentance.
He's granted you the gift of perseverance.
Perseverance is a gift that God gives to His own.
That's why they don't turn theirback on their God, because they
love Him so and they persevere to the end.
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Revelation 14. How about this defines the
perseverance of the Saints? Revelation 14 verse #12 here is
it says the perseverance of the Saints who keep the commandments
of God and their faith in Jesus Christ.
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There it is. There's the definition of the
perseverance of the Saints. They obey the commands of God
and they keep their faith in theLord Jesus Christ.
Now their faith is kept by God because God is a protector of
their faith. But at the same time, they
evidence that their faith has been protected by persevering no
matter what the situation, no matter what the circumstance.
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In a Revelation 14, it's all about the tribulation of Saints
who've gone through an horrific ordeal on the planet, but they
never turn their back on the Lord, even though they were
persecuted and were killed because of their faith.
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Jesus said in Matthew's gospel, the 9th chapter, I'm sorry, the
10th chapter, the 22nd verse, these words, Matthew 1022.
Let's start with verse #21 brother will betray brother to
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death, and the father is child, and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death.
You will be hated by all men because of me.
But it is the one who has endured to the end who will be
saved again. Endurance doesn't save you, but
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endurance is the evidence that you have been saved.
And then later in Matthew 24 as crisis in the Olivet Discourse,
he says these words. He says many false prophets will
arise and will mislead many because of lawlessness is
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increased. Most people's love will grow
cold, but the one who endures tothe end will be saved.
You see, those are just a few verses the Bible speaks of
concerning the perseverance of the Saints.
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It's imperative that you understand that, that the true
believers will continue in the faith.
They will not turn their back onthe Lord.
Oh, there will be times of mishaps and there will be times
of doubt and there will be timesof sin and there'll be times of
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of rebellion against God. Those things happen.
Yes, they do. But they're not long extended
periods of time where you completely turn your back away
from the Lord and walk away fromHim.
Why? Because you're kept by the Holy
Spirit. It's the power of God that saves
you and keeps you. It's the promises of God that
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guarantee your eternal destiny. And therefore you're willing to
persevere all the way to the endno matter what, because it
evidences the fact that you truly have been born again.
True believers will always persevere.
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Professing Christians who turn against the Lord only prove that
they were never saved to begin with first, John 219.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us, for if
they had been of us, they would have remained with us, But they
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went out in order that it might be shown that they all are not
of us. John made it very clear that
those who left the faith were never really part of US1 Author
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said that no matter how convincing a person's testimony
might seem, once that person becomes apostate, he or she
demonstrates irrefutably that the testimony was hypocritical
and the professed salvation was spurious at best.
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The Christian's destination, he's known by that and that
destination is seen not when he died, but in the lifestyle that
he lives because he continues inthe faith.
He's not like the, the weedy soil in Matthew 13 or the rocky
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soil in Matthew 13. Those soils that jump on the
Jesus bandwagon and and live thehip, hip, Hooray kind of life
for a season. And then when persecution and
affliction come, they fall away.Or because of the deceitfulness
of riches and because of the cares of this world, they fall
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away because they had no root, they could not stand, therefore
they fell away from the Lord simply because they they were
never saved to begin with. It's so important that you
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understand true saving grace andthe power of the gospel that
somebody who's a believer truly is a new creation.
Judas was that classic example of an apostate.
Judas was was one who followed Jesus simply because that was
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the thing to do. And Judas was one who who truly,
truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah and why he stayed
with Jesus as long as he did. I'm sure he thought there was
something in the the Kingdom Project that would benefit him
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to some degree. For three years, day in and day
out, he was with the Son of God.He preached the gospel, he
before miracles like the other apostles did.
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He looked and acted and sounded like every other disciple.
But he was not. Satan is a master of deception.
And there are people, yes, even people in our church who look
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and sound like everybody else and they have everybody fooled.
They've lived a life of deception or they have been self
deceived thinking they're on theway to heaven.
But in reality they are not because the life they live is
contrary to the life that Christhas shown us in His Word.
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We must not affirm them in theirrebellious state and tell them
you had a past experience. You had a past prayer.
I was there when you walked the aisle at the crusade.
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I was there when you you made a profession of faith at your
baptismal. No, what proves a person's
destination is their holy lifestyle.
They love the Lord. They serve the Lord.
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They had made that decision to take up the cross and follow
Christ. They have one devotion to please
only the Lord, not man. They are completely dedicated to
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living for Christ because they know that when they die, it is
gain. They disassociate themselves
from the world. You find those people who want
to associate with the world moreand more.
The lure of the world pulls themin, keeps dragging them in.
That's because the life of Christ is not in them.
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They so easily won't go the way of the world.
They're determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified because it was to the personal work of the Messiah.
They are saved and their destination is secure based on
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what God has done, and their destination is seen because they
persevere all the way to the end.
Let's pray. Our Lord, we thank you for today
and all the things that you've taught us over the last several
weeks. Our prayer is that they would
stick with us. You would help us as we seek to
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look at our own lives and those closest to us especially that we
might instruct them and teach them in the way that they should
go, that your Bible is clear about the perseverance of the
Saints. They will keep on keeping on, no
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matter what the difficulty or hardship, the tragedy or trial.
They love the Lord and they wantto serve the Lord.
Their life is not wrapped up in this world, but in the world to
come, the world of God's glorious Kingdom.
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My prayer is for everyone in theroom.
They would know for certain thatJesus Christ is their King and
their Lord and their Savior and that in obedience to you, they
truly, truly serve the living God and they strive to live a a
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life of holiness Because you said be perfect as your Father
in heaven is perfect. Be holy as your Lord God himself
is holy. May that be our our drive, may
that be our desire, may it be our ambition and passion to live
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a life that reflects the beauty and holiness of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ. Until you come again, as you
most surely will, in Jesus name,Amen.
Father, thank you for today. Thank You that we can gather
together to study your word or we are a blessed people to be
able to look into the Word of the Lord and to understand what
it is you have for us. And our prayer tonight is that
you would continue to open our hearts and minds to behold the
beauty of the Lord. Help us to see things as they
really are, as You've intended them to be for our lives, that
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we might truly follow and serve You with all of our hearts.
We thank you Lord, for this opportunity you've given to us.
May we redeem this time that we might be used of you in days
ahead for the glory of your Kingdom until you come again, as
you most surely will, in Jesus name, Amen.
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This morning I had the opportunity to preach at the
memorial service for Helen Macias.
It was a great time. Interesting that someone came up
to me afterwards and said wow, you were just so sweet and so
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soft. To which I said, I am always
sweet and soft. I'm like soft serve ice cream.
And she laughed and said not really, but that's OK.
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But it was a a great time celebrating the life of someone
who knew they were going to be go home and be with the Lord.
When I visited Helen last week in the hospital, she was ready
to to go home. That's one thing about the
believer. They're, they're always ready to
go home when God's going to callthem.
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They, they never are reluctant to leave.
They don't necessarily know all that's going to happen once they
pass from this life to the next,but they know that their
destination is heaven and they cherish that opportunity And
uniquely that when you go visit someone who's dying, they become
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the encourager more than you arethe encourager.
Those who know the Lord become the great encouragers at the
time of death. And Helen was a a great
encouragement to me. I went there to pray with her.
I, I went there to be with her, her husband, only to realize
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that she, she encouraged me a lot more than I could ever
encourage her. She was about to embark in the
glory. I'm not.
But she was, and she knew where she was going to go.
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I wonder if you know for certainthat if you were to die today
that your destiny would be in the presence of our Lord.
I wonder if you have the ironclad assurance, without any
reservation or hesitation, that heaven is your destiny, because
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all believers truly have that. But it's interesting to note
that there are many people who are professing believers who
think they're on the way to heaven but will not end up
there. That's a tragedy that that's the
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reason we've embarked on the series about what is a Christian
so that there wouldn't be any confusion in your mind or those
you come in contact with about their eternal destiny.
But there's always been a question over the years, ever
since the birth of the church, about people who who think
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they're Christians, but in reality they're not.
Over 250 years ago, it was Jonathan Edwards who was the
preacher that instigated the Great Awakening.
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And in the 1730s and 40s, he wasthe main instrument of God to
preach the gospel and to bring about the great revival in
America. After the the peak of that
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revival, Edwards wrote a treaty concerning religious affection
to deal with the problem, not unlike those that we face today.
The matter of evidence in true conversion.
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Many people want the blessing ofsalvation, especially eternal
security, but nothing more. In the explosive drama of the
Great Awakening, it seemed as though conversions were
occurring in great numbers. However, it didn't take long to
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realize that some of the clean conversions were not genuine.
While various excesses and heightened emotional experiences
were common, scores of people didn't demonstrate any evidence
in their lives to verify their claim to know and love Jesus
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Christ, which led critics to attack the Great Awakening,
contending it was nothing but a big emotional bath without any
true conversions. Thus, partly in defense of true
conversion and partly in to expose false conversions,
Jonathan Edwards took up his penand began to write a treaty
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concerning religious affection. He came to this simple
conclusion. The supreme proof of a true
conversion is what he called holy affections, which is a zeal
for holy things and a longing after God and personal holiness.
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He made a careful distinction between saving versus common
operations of the Holy Spirit. Saving operations obviously
produce salvation. Common operations of the Holy
Spirit, he said, May sober, arrest and convict men, and may
even bring them to what at firstappears to be repentance in
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faith. Yet these influences fall short
of inward saving renewal. How can you tell whether the
Holy Spirit has performed a saving operation, as the
principal evidence of life is motion?
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Edwards wrote, So the principal evidence of saving grace is
wholly living, he said. True salvation always produces
an abiding change of nature in atrue convert.
Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a
confession of conversion, it must be understood that this
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individual is not a Christian. In the very year Edwards's
treaty was published, popular teaching asserted that, to the
contrary, the only real evidenceof true salvation is a feeling
based on experience, usually theexperience at the moment of the
alleged conversion. And that teaching introduced the
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prevalent but erroneous concept that a person's true spiritual
state is known by a past experience rather than a present
pursuit of holiness. So 250 years ago, Jonathan
Edwards was concerned that the fact that there were multitudes
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of people professing Christianity, but very few of
the multitude expressing true Christianity. 200 years later,
Harry Ironside became the pastorof Memorial or Moody Memorial
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Church in Chicago. He wrote these words.
Perhaps someone may ask, but does it make no difference to
God what I am myself? May I live on in my sins and
still be saved? No, assuredly not.
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But this brings in another line of truth.
The moment one believes the gospel, he is born again and
receives a new life and nature, a nature that hates sin and
loves holiness. If you have come to Jesus and
trusted Him, do you not realize the truth of this?
Do you not now hate and detest the wicked things that once gave
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you a certain degree of the light?
Do you not find within yourself a new craving for goodness, a
longing after holiness, and a thirst for righteousness?
All this is the evidence of a new nature, and as you walk with
God you will find that daily thepower of the indwelling Holy
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Spirit will give you practical deliverance from the dominion of
sin. Doctor Ironside would face the
same problem that Jonathan Edwards faced, the same problem
that the writers of the Gospels and the Epistles faced, that
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people would profess a relationship with Christ but
live contrary to that profession.
Profession. Some 50 years later, Jeffrey
Wilson would pick up his pen andwrite these words.
Today's Christianity is in a state of disarray and decay, and
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the condition is deteriorating year by year.
The truth of God's Word has beenwatered down and compromised to
reach a common denominator that will appeal to and accommodate
the largest number of participants.
The result is a hybrid Christianity which is
essentially man centered, materialistic and worldly, and
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shamefully dishonouring to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The shameful degeneracy is due in large part to the erroneous
gospel that is presented by manytoday around the world.
He's right. You listen to preachers on the
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radio and on TV and they presentto you a pseudo gospel and it's
not even recognizable. And people by the droves believe
in that kind of gospel. In fact, it was said that all
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who say they have accepted Christ are enthusiastically
received as Christians, even if they're they're supposed faith
later gives way to a persistent pattern of disobedience, gross
sin, or hostile unbelief. Now, can that possibly be true,
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that someone who professes Christianity can live in want
and sin in rebellion against Godand live in unbelief?
One writer even said it this way.
It is possible, even probable, that when a believer out of
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fellowship falls for certain types of philosophy, if he is a
logical thinker, he will become an unbelieving believer.
Yet believers who become agnostics are still saved.
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They are still born again. You can even become an atheist.
But if you once accepted Christ as Savior, you cannot lose your
salvation even though you deny God.
End Quote that that is a blatantlie that is not true.
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Can someone actually be labeled an unbelieving believer?
Can someone actually who says they believe in God all of a
sudden become agnostic or even an atheist?
But because he professed Christianity or because he had a
past experience at one time, there will be some preachers
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that will confirm them in that state.
Yet Jesus said these words. Matthew 1033.
Whoever shall deny me, I will deny before my Father who is in
heaven. That's what Jesus said the
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Apostle Paul would write in Second Timothy 2 verse #12 If we
deny him, he also will deny us. Why?
Because God is faithful to His Word.
It will keep His Word. And so 11 weeks ago, we embarked
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on this journey to help people in our church understand exactly
what a Christian is. That's the question we've
answered, and not to its fullestextent at all, but at least
we've given you some principles that will help you understand
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true Christianity. A Christian is known by #1 His
decision. Luke 923 If any man come after
me, let him deny himself, take his cross and follow me.
That's the invitation to salvation.
That's the gospel as Jesus himself presents it.
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And the person who has made thatdecision is best defined in
Philippians 3 verse #3 that we are the marked ones.
We worship God in spirit. We glory only in Christ Jesus
and put no confidence in the flesh.
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And the person who is defined that way is described in Second
Corinthians 5/17, that if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creation. Old things are passed away
beyond all things have become new.
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The believer is described as being in Christ, and Christ is
in him. And the person who is a true
Christian is marked by the fact that they have a declaration
that they without hesitation make.
Matthew 1616 Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
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God. Every believer knows that Jesus
is God in the flesh. Every cult denies that Jesus is
God in the flesh. And Christians are are
dedicated. They are dedicated to live for
Christ. Philippians 121 For to me, to
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live is Christ, to die is gain. They're dedicated to living only
for Christ and not themselves. They also live a life of
denunciation. Colossians 318.
They denounce anything that willcause their members to fall into
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sin, and so they are involved inthe principle of mortification,
putting to death those members that would cause them to turn
away from the Lord. That Christian is also known by
his devotion. Second Corinthians 59 Paul said
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we make our ambition to please the Christ.
The Christian is devoted to pleasing, not man, not even
pleasing himself, but pleasing the Lord.
That's his devotion. And then the Christian is known
by his disassociation, for he refuses to associate with the
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world anymore. James 4/4 says that whoever is a
friend of the world is the enemyof God and last week it was the
fact that a Christian is known by determination.
First Corinthians 22 where Paul said I determined to know
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nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
The Bible is very clear about Christianity.
The Bible is very clear about what describes the Christian,
what defines a Christian, what aChristian is made of simply
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because they are in Christ and Christ is in them.
Tonight, as we come to the end of our study, a Christian is
known by destination. They know where they're going.
They know for certain that if they were to die today, they
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would spend eternity with the Lord Jesus.
It's very important because thatdestination is is solidified by
5 principles, and those five principles then are seen in one
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principle. So you might adhere to the five
principles that solidify your eternal destiny, but if the one
principle is not seen, then you're not a true believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ. So important to understand this.
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It's it's always good to be in the know.
So the Bible says these words inRomans 828.
For we know that all things worktogether for good to those who
love God and are called according to his purpose.
Christians know that that's something they can be assured
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of. So Paul would say, we know that
all things work together for good because we love God and
have been called according to his purpose.
Paul also said in Second Timothyone verse #12 I know whom I
believe, and then persuaded thathe is able to keep that which
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I've committed unto him. Until that day Paul didn't say I
know in what I believe, althoughhe did.
He says I know in whom I believe, and I'm absolutely
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed
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to him. And then John would say these
words in first John chapter 5, verse 11.
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in the Son. He who has a Son has life.
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He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
And John's, the whole epistle infirst John is about the moral
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test, the doctrinal test, the relational test, three main
tests that he gives over and over again in chapter 1, chapter
2, chapter 3, and chapter 4. And then says, these things are
written that you may know that you have eternal life if you
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take the moral test, if you, if you take the doctrinal test, if
you take the relational test andyou pass, then you know you have
eternal life. But if you flunk, then you don't
know you have eternal life. Just that simple.
And so we come to a place where the believer is known by his
destination. He knows where he's going.
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He has the ironclad assurance that heaven is his destiny.
Every believer has that assurance.
If you don't have that assurance, it could be you're
not a believer. It could be that you really
don't know the Christ. Because if you know Christ and
you understand true Christianity, the assurance of
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your eternal destiny is secure in Jesus Christ our Lord.
That the doctrine of eternal security is such a, a pivotal
doctrine in in the life of the Christian and it's solidified by
5 principles. Let me give them to you.
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My eternal destiny is solidified#1 by the promises of God.
Our God is faithful. He's true, He cannot lie.
He makes a promise, He keeps it.John 5 verse #24 truly, truly, I
say to you, Hugh hears my word and believes him who sent Me has
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eternal life and does not come into judgment, but is passed out
of death into life. That's a promise, and your
eternal destiny is solidified bythat promise.
He would say in John 6 verse #37All that the Father gives me
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will come to me, and the one whocomes to me I will certainly not
cast out. Verse 39 This is the will of him
who sent me, that of all that Hehas given me, I lose nothing and
raise it up on the last day. God makes a promise.
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All that come to me I will not cast out.
Then again in John 10 verse 27, my sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them,
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and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of
my hand. What a promise, and that promise
solidifies my eternal destiny. Paul would say in Philippians
one verse #6 being confident of this very thing, that he who
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began a good work in you will complete that work.
And Romans 8 tells us that that once you have been called and
because you have been predestined you, you will be
justified. And all those that are justified
will ultimately be glorified. That is the promise that God
himself gives Romans 11/29 says that the gifts and calling of
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God are irrevocable. God's not going to say I called
you, you came to me, but now I'mresending the call.
God doesn't do that simply because He's made a promise,
that great version John 316, that God still loved the world,
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that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
everlasting life again. It's a promise that solidifies
my eternal destiny. Then of course, in John 14,
Christ said to his men that in my Father's house are many
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mansions. If it were not so, if it wasn't
true, I would have told you. And so I go and prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and I will receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.
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That's just a beautiful promise.So your eternal destination is
solidified by the promises of God #2 it is solidified by the
power of God. God can keep his promises
because he's all powerful and Hecan always accomplish what He's
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promised. So the Bible says in first Peter
chapter one verse #3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His mercy, His great mercy has
caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an
inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and
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will not fade away, reserved in heaven.
For you who are protected by thepower of God, your inheritance
that's imperishable, that is undefiled, is kept by the power
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of God, and God is the almighty God, the all powerful God.
And so your eternal destination that's been reserved in heaven
is kept by the all powerful God.Jude 24 says.
He is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand
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in the presence of His glory, blameless.
With great joy. He's able to do that.
That's why Paul said in Second Timothy 112 that he knew in whom
he believed and was persuaded that his God would keep him and
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protect him to the very end. Because the power of God
solidifies your eternal destiny.Because the promises of God
solidify your eternal destiny #3The purposes of God solidify
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your eternal destiny. Ephesians chapter one verse #3
Blessed be the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we would be holyand blameless before Him in
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love. He predestined us to adoption as
sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind
intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace. God's plan as a purpose.
The purposes of God are always accomplished because He's all
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powerful and He made a promise, Paul would say in First
Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 23.
Now may the God of peace himselfsanctify you entirely, and may
your spirit and soul and body bepreserved complete without blame
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to
(30:27):
pass. Again, the promise of God, the
power of God, the purposes of God to cause you to stand holy
and blameless in His presence solidifies your eternal destiny
#4 The prayers of Christ solidify your eternal destiny.
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Over in John 17 Christ said these words in verse #11 I am no
longer in the world, and yet they themselves are in the
world. And I, I come to you, Holy
Father, keep them in Your name, the name which you have given
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me, that they may be 1 Even as we are, we are.
While I was with them, I was keeping them in your name which
You have given me, and that guarded them.
And not one of them perished, but the Son of perdition, so
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.
Verse 20. I do not ask on behalf of these
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alone, but for those also who believe in me through their
word. So as Paul, I mean, as Christ
would pray on the eve of the crucifixion for His men in their
hearing, He was also praying forthose who would one day believe
in His name, that we might be 1 with the Father, as He is one
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with the Father over in Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 25.
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near
to God through Him, since He always lives to make
intercession for them. So in Hebrews 725 there's a
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promise that He will keep us forever because He lives to make
intercession for us. The prayers of Christ are always
answered in the affirmative. Why?
Because His will is God's will, for He is God.
He is one with the Father. So when the Lord prays that you
(32:56):
would be kept and protected, youare kept and protected that you
might be with Him in glory. So the destination of the
believer is solidified and secured by the promises of God,
the power of God, the purpose ofGod, the prayers of Christ, and
(33:17):
fourthly or fifthly, the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians one verse number #14 or verse 13 in him you also,
after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your
(33:37):
salvation, having also believed you were sealed in him with the
Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge or a down
payment of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of
God's own possession, to the praise of is glory.
(34:00):
In other words, the presence of the Holy Spirit is a guarantee
that we will ultimately receive the inheritance that God has
given to us. So when you look at those five
principles, you realize that oursecurity, our eternal destiny is
(34:23):
solidified by what God himself does.
Yet you must understand the 6th principle because the 6th
principle will help you understand whether or not you
(34:43):
really truly believe the first five and that the first five
really apply to you. And that is, although your
eternal destiny is solidified and secured by the promises of
God and the power of God, the purposes of God, the prayers of
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Christ, the presence of the HolySpirit, that eternal destiny is
seen in the perseverance of the Saints, The perseverance of the
(35:29):
Saints. It's a great doctrine.
It's one that's not talked aboutmuch, but the doctrine is simply
states that your faith will always endure, always your faith
(35:51):
because it's God-given. It's a gift from God is a faith
that is not fragile, nor is it afaith that is temporary.
It's a faith that's a grace giftfrom God to those who believe in
him because you can't believe unless God has granted you the
the gift of grace or the gift tobelieve or the gift to repent or
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the gift truly of faith. And that faith that he gives you
is not a fragile faith, but it'sstrong because it's based on
what God has said and who God is.
(36:37):
So no matter what happens in your life, you continue to
continue on in the faith. That's what Hebrews 11 is all
about, the Great Hall of faith. None of those men or women had
fragile faith. Their faith was strong,
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especially in the face of adversity, in the vase of
suffering, in the face of hardship.
I mean, if your faith, the faiththat saves you, doesn't work
when things are bad, what good is the faith that you have?
But the faith that God grants you works best in adverse
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circumstances. The faith that God gives you
works best when there's turmoil and hardship.
The faith that God grants you istested and strengthened through
trials and suffering because that faith is not fragile.
That faith endures all the way to the end.
(37:49):
The perseverance of the faith isthe doctrine that says I might
fail, but I will never fail fully or finally.
Peter failed, but he did not fail fully or finally.
(38:09):
Why? Because of the perseverance of
the Saints, the truth, the doctrine that says all those who
believe in Christ will continue and always believe in Him.
They will be steadfast. They will be immovable,
immovable. They will be abounding in their
work with the Lord because of the faith that He himself has
(38:32):
granted to them. So important.
So let me show you in Scripture where this is.
By the way, listen to the words of Jeremiah chapter 32.
This is so telling about the NewCovenant and the guarantee that
(38:59):
all true believers will never apostasize the faith, never
defrock the faith, never become agnostic or atheists, and never
turn away from the Lord fully. And finally, Jeremiah chapter
32, verse #40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them
(39:29):
that I will not turn away from them to do them good.
And I will put the fear of me intheir hearts so that they will
not turn away from me. That's a new covenant promise.
God says I'm going to do something unique and special
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with my people, Israel. I'm going to make a covenant
with them, and I will do them good, and I will put the fear of
me in their hearts. Remember Psalm 130 verse #4
There's forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Only the believer fears God. The unbeliever does not fear
God. Why?
(40:10):
Because God puts the fear of Himin their hearts.
And because the fear of Him is there, they will not a guarantee
turn away from me. God's children never turn away
from Him. They don't throughout the years
(40:31):
of our church's existence. 31 ofthem, to be exact.
We have baptized a slew of people are baptismal people who
have made a profession of Christianity, who have stated
that they gave their life to Christ.
Some of them were young in theirteenage years, some of them were
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even in their 20s and 30s, and some even beyond that.
And how do you know that the person who makes that testimony
of saving faith truly is saved? Time and truth go hand in hand,
do they not? Of course they do.
(41:14):
And so many times over the years, we've had high school
students, college students make a profession of faith only to go
off to college, only to get married and go off and do
something and completely turn away from the Lord.
(41:36):
That tells you that they simply made a profession of faith but
never truly believed in Christ. Because the guarantee of
Jeremiah 3240 is an absolute fact.
They will not turn away from me.They will not.
And this is a great a great testfor you as parents when you look
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at your children who have grown up in the church and they have
made a profession of faith. Maybe they were baptized in the
church. Maybe you supposedly LED them to
the Lord in your home while theywere young and they've grown up,
but they've gone off to college,they got married, and they
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turned their back on the Lord. They were not saved to begin
with. They just weren't because of the
guarantee of Jeremiah 32 verse #40 plus a slew of other verses.
Let me give them to you. Colossians, chapter 1.
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Colossians chapter one verse #21And although you were formerly
alienated and hostile, and mine engaged in evil deeds, this was
your unbelieving life. Yet He has now reconciled you in
His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before
Him holy and blameless, and beyond reproach.
(43:10):
If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and
steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that
you have heard, which is proclaimed in all creation under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister, this is the
(43:35):
way you once were. But God has reconciled you to
Himself. And how do you know that God has
reconciled to Himself if you continue steadfastly in the
faith? Because if you don't continue
steadfasting the faith, it's evident that God has not
(43:56):
reconciled you to himself. Listen, the perseverance of the
Saints is a doctor that says youdo not earn saving faith by your
perseverance, but your perseverance evidences saving
faith. Very important to realize that
(44:19):
because you keep on keeping on, you don't earn saving grace.
You give the evidence that you've been saved by grace.
You see that? That's what the doctrine of the
perseverance of the Saints is all about.
Look at what the Bible says in the book of first Corinthians
15. Paul says, Now I make known to
(44:41):
you, brethren, the gospel which I preach to you, which also you
received, and which also you stand first to, but which also
you are saved. You heard the gospel, you were
saved by the gospel. If he says you hold fast the
word which I preach to you, unless you believed in vain,
(45:09):
that's very telling. He makes it very clear.
I made note to you, brethren, the gospel.
I preach to you the gospel, the gospel in which you stand, if if
you'll fast the word of that gospel, unless of course, he
says you really didn't believe at all.
(45:31):
Your belief was empty, It was futile, it made no difference.
How about this Romans 15 verse #4 For whatever was written in
earlier times was written for our instruction, set through
perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures,
we might have hope. Now may the God who gives
(45:53):
perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind
with one another, according to Christ Jesus.
You see, God grants you the giftof perseverance.
The reason you persevere, the reason you don't defrock the
faith, the reason you don't apostasize the faith is because
God has granted you not just thegift of faith and not just the
(46:16):
gift of belief, and not just thegift of repentance.
He's granted you the gift of perseverance.
Perseverance is a gift that God gives to His own.
That's why they don't turn theirback on their God, because they
love Him so and they persevere to the end.
(46:39):
Revelation 14. How about this defines the
perseverance of the Saints? Revelation 14 verse #12 here is
it says the perseverance of the Saints who keep the commandments
of God and their faith in Jesus Christ.
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There it is. There's the definition of the
perseverance of the Saints. They obey the commands of God
and they keep their faith in theLord Jesus Christ.
Now their faith is kept by God because God is a protector of
their faith. But at the same time, they
evidence that their faith has been protected by persevering no
matter what the situation, no matter what the circumstance.
(47:25):
In a Revelation 14, it's all about the tribulation of Saints
who've gone through an horrific ordeal on the planet, but they
never turn their back on the Lord, even though they were
persecuted and were killed because of their faith.
(47:49):
Jesus said in Matthew's gospel, the 9th chapter, I'm sorry, the
10th chapter, the 22nd verse, these words, Matthew 1022.
Let's start with verse #21 brother will betray brother to
(48:13):
death, and the father is child, and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death.
You will be hated by all men because of me.
But it is the one who has endured to the end who will be
saved again. Endurance doesn't save you, but
(48:35):
endurance is the evidence that you have been saved.
And then later in Matthew 24 as crisis in the Olivet Discourse,
he says these words. He says many false prophets will
arise and will mislead many because of lawlessness is
(48:57):
increased. Most people's love will grow
cold, but the one who endures tothe end will be saved.
You see, those are just a few verses the Bible speaks of
concerning the perseverance of the Saints.
(49:21):
It's imperative that you understand that, that the true
believers will continue in the faith.
They will not turn their back onthe Lord.
Oh, there will be times of mishaps and there will be times
of doubt and there will be timesof sin and there'll be times of
(49:41):
of rebellion against God. Those things happen.
Yes, they do. But they're not long extended
periods of time where you completely turn your back away
from the Lord and walk away fromHim.
Why? Because you're kept by the Holy
Spirit. It's the power of God that saves
you and keeps you. It's the promises of God that
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guarantee your eternal destiny. And therefore you're willing to
persevere all the way to the endno matter what, because it
evidences the fact that you truly have been born again.
True believers will always persevere.
(50:26):
Professing Christians who turn against the Lord only prove that
they were never saved to begin with first, John 219.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us, for if
they had been of us, they would have remained with us, But they
(50:49):
went out in order that it might be shown that they all are not
of us. John made it very clear that
those who left the faith were never really part of US1 Author
(51:13):
said that no matter how convincing a person's testimony
might seem, once that person becomes apostate, he or she
demonstrates irrefutably that the testimony was hypocritical
and the professed salvation was spurious at best.
(51:35):
The Christian's destination, he's known by that and that
destination is seen not when he died, but in the lifestyle that
he lives because he continues inthe faith.
He's not like the, the weedy soil in Matthew 13 or the rocky
(51:57):
soil in Matthew 13. Those soils that jump on the
Jesus bandwagon and and live thehip, hip, Hooray kind of life
for a season. And then when persecution and
affliction come, they fall away.Or because of the deceitfulness
of riches and because of the cares of this world, they fall
(52:17):
away because they had no root, they could not stand, therefore
they fell away from the Lord simply because they they were
never saved to begin with. It's so important that you
(52:39):
understand true saving grace andthe power of the gospel that
somebody who's a believer truly is a new creation.
Judas was that classic example of an apostate.
Judas was was one who followed Jesus simply because that was
(53:04):
the thing to do. And Judas was one who who truly,
truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah and why he stayed
with Jesus as long as he did. I'm sure he thought there was
something in the the Kingdom Project that would benefit him
(53:28):
to some degree. For three years, day in and day
out, he was with the Son of God.He preached the gospel, he
before miracles like the other apostles did.
(53:51):
He looked and acted and sounded like every other disciple.
But he was not. Satan is a master of deception.
And there are people, yes, even people in our church who look
(54:13):
and sound like everybody else and they have everybody fooled.
They've lived a life of deception or they have been self
deceived thinking they're on theway to heaven.
But in reality they are not because the life they live is
contrary to the life that Christhas shown us in His Word.
(54:40):
We must not affirm them in theirrebellious state and tell them
you had a past experience. You had a past prayer.
I was there when you walked the aisle at the crusade.
(55:01):
I was there when you you made a profession of faith at your
baptismal. No, what proves a person's
destination is their holy lifestyle.
They love the Lord. They serve the Lord.
(55:25):
They had made that decision to take up the cross and follow
Christ. They have one devotion to please
only the Lord, not man. They are completely dedicated to
(55:46):
living for Christ because they know that when they die, it is
gain. They disassociate themselves
from the world. You find those people who want
to associate with the world moreand more.
The lure of the world pulls themin, keeps dragging them in.
That's because the life of Christ is not in them.
(56:10):
They so easily won't go the way of the world.
They're determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified because it was to the personal work of the Messiah.
They are saved and their destination is secure based on
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what God has done, and their destination is seen because they
persevere all the way to the end.
Let's pray. Our Lord, we thank you for today
and all the things that you've taught us over the last several
weeks. Our prayer is that they would
stick with us. You would help us as we seek to
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look at our own lives and those closest to us especially that we
might instruct them and teach them in the way that they should
go, that your Bible is clear about the perseverance of the
Saints. They will keep on keeping on, no
(57:15):
matter what the difficulty or hardship, the tragedy or trial.
They love the Lord and they wantto serve the Lord.
Their life is not wrapped up in this world, but in the world to
come, the world of God's glorious Kingdom.
(57:40):
My prayer is for everyone in theroom.
They would know for certain thatJesus Christ is their King and
their Lord and their Savior and that in obedience to you, they
truly, truly serve the living God and they strive to live a a
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life of holiness Because you said be perfect as your Father
in heaven is perfect. Be holy as your Lord God himself
is holy. May that be our our drive, may
that be our desire, may it be our ambition and passion to live
(58:34):
a life that reflects the beauty and holiness of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ. Until you come again, as you
most surely will, in Jesus name,Amen.
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