August 27, 2025 • 30 mins
What happens after we're saved? When doubts creep in, suffering strikes, or sin resurfaces, how can we be confident in our salvation? Pastor Timothy Mann delivers a powerful message that cuts through confusion about eternal security with a clear Biblical truth: those who are genuinely saved will endure to the end—not by their own strength, but by God's sustaining grace.
Drawing from Philippians 1:6, Pastor Mann reveals the profound promise that God finishes what He starts. This isn't spiritual wishful thinking but a divine guarantee that shapes our understanding of salvation. The Christian journey isn't about maintaining salvation through willpower but trusting the God who began the work to complete it.
Many Christians have reduced salvation to a single prayer or moment, missing the biblical reality that true faith perseveres. Through Hebrews 10:35-39 and 1 Peter 1:3-9, we discover that saving faith continues believing even through hardship. This doesn't mean believers never struggle—we might fall but don't forsake, doubt but don't desert—because our security rests not in our grip on Christ but His hold on us.
This message offers extraordinary comfort for anyone feeling spiritually weary. Your salvation isn't hanging by a thread dependent on your performance. Like a construction site that appears chaotic but follows a master blueprint, your spiritual life might seem unfinished, but the divine Architect is faithfully working toward completion.
For those wondering if they'll make it to the end, this message brings hope. Endurance isn't manufactured through sheer determination but flows from the indwelling Spirit. When you see your faith persisting through trials, it's evidence not of your strength but of God's sustaining power—the clearest sign that He who began the good work in you will be faithful to complete it.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my
path.
That's Psalm 119, 105.
Welcome to Foundations of Truthwith Pastor Timothy Mann from
Providence Church in OrmondBeach, Florida.
Join us now as we let God'sword illuminate our lives and
guide us into his truth today.
Today's message is from the GodSaves series.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
So we're going to start in the little letter of
Philippians.
Philippians, chapter 1, chapter1.
And then from there we'll turnto the right in our Bibles, to
Hebrews, chapter 10, hebrews 10and 1 Peter, chapter 1.
Philippians, chapter 1, verse 6.
We're going to focus on oneverse in Philippians 1 and then
(00:42):
we'll move through Philippians,chapter 1, verse 6.
The Bible says God's Word says,being confident of this very
thing, that he who has begun agood work in you will complete
it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Now go with me to Hebrews,chapter 10.
Hebrews, chapter 10.
(01:04):
Now go with me to Hebrews,chapter 10.
Hebrews, chapter 10.
We'll look at verse 35 down toverse 39.
Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 35through 39.
The Bible says Therefore, donot cast away your confidence,
(01:26):
which has great reward, for youhave need of endurance so that,
after you have done the will ofGod, you may receive the promise
.
And then he quotes the OldTestament For yet a little while
, and he who is coming will comeand will not tarry.
Now the just shall live byfaith.
But if anyone draws back, mysoul has no pleasure in him.
(01:48):
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition, but of
those who believe to the savingof the soul.
1 Peter, chapter 1.
We'll read verses 3 through 9.
1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 9.
Verse peter 1.
Verse 3 through9.
The bible says blessed be thegod and father of our lord,
(02:14):
jesus christ, who, according tohis abundant mercy, has begotten
us again to a living hopethrough the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, toan inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled and that does notfade away, reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by thepower of God through faith For
(02:40):
salvation, ready to be revealedin the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice,for though now for a little
while, if need be, you have beengrieved by various trials that
the genuineness of your faith,being much more precious than
(03:00):
gold that perishes Though it istested by fire, may be found to
praise, honor and glory at therevelation of Jesus Christ whom,
having not seen you love, andthough now you do not see him
yet believing, you rejoice withjoy inexpressible and full of
glory, receiving the end of yourfaith, the salvation of your
(03:25):
souls.
It is God's Word.
So what happens after we'resaved?
In this series, we've seen thatwe are saved by God's grace
alone, through faith in Christalone.
We've seen that God forgivesour sin and that he puts us in
(03:46):
right standing with him when wegenuinely believe on Jesus, in
repentant faith.
We've seen that we've been madenew by being born again from
above, also adopted by God intohis forever family.
What a blessing.
God into his forever family,what a blessing.
(04:08):
And we've also seen, we'velearned, that we are safe in his
hands because Jesus is ourshepherd and we are his sheep.
Isn't that good?
All right, but what about thelong journey ahead?
I mean, what about when thepath gets hard, when doubts
creep in, when suffering comes,when sin resurfaces, when we
(04:30):
feel weak, weary and afraid?
Well, that's where the truth oftoday's message, where the
truth of God's Word, reallymatters deeply.
And the truth is this I'll juststate it this way and we'll
move from here those who aregenuinely saved.
(04:50):
Now you may have a differentview, but I believe God's word
really is pretty clear aboutthis, and we'll walk through
this as we go through it.
Those who are genuinely savedwill endure to the end, not by
their own strength, but by god'ssustaining grace.
In other words, let me put itthis way saving faith is
(05:14):
enduring faith.
Saving faith is enduring faithnot because we are strong, but
because god is faithful.
The bible, again, I I stand onthis, on what I believe is the
truth of god's word.
The bible never teaches thattrue believers can ultimately
and finally fall away and losetheir salvation.
(05:36):
However, it does teach thattrue believers continue to
believe.
It teaches that true believerscontinue to believe they
persevere, not in perfection,but in repentance, not without
failure, but without finalfalling away.
(06:00):
And why?
Well, because the god who savedthem is the God who keeps them.
And I'll tell you this morningthat's a promise.
You can build your life on that.
The God who saves you is theGod who keeps you.
You can build your life on thatpromise.
I want us to explore three keytruths as we consider why true
(06:23):
believers in Jesus continue tobelieve.
Why do true believers in Jesuscontinue to believe?
If you've ever felt weak inyour faith, if you've ever
wondered whether you're going tomake it to the end, then this
message is for you.
So let's begin with one of themost, I believe, reassuring
verses in all of Scripture, backin Philippians 1.
(06:44):
Philippians 1.
Let's start with that.
Philippians 1, verse 6.
Being confident of this verything that he who has begun a
good work in you will completeit until the day of Jesus Christ
.
That single sentence from theApostle Paul, from the Holy
(07:06):
Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, is a bedrock for our assurance
and our hope, because it speaksnot only of how salvation
begins, but it also speaks ofhow it continues and how it
ultimately ends.
So we'll start with thispowerful truth that, if true
believers continue to believe,why?
(07:26):
Why is that?
Well, first, and I would evensay most importantly, it's this
God finishes what he starts.
God finishes what he starts.
Philippians, chapter 1, verse 6.
So let's unpack this some,verse 6.
Put your eyes on it.
Let's unpack it some.
First of all, we see in verse 6.
So let's unpack this some,verse 6.
Put your eyes on it.
Let's unpack it some.
First of all, we see in verse 6that salvation begins with God.
(07:48):
It says he who began a goodwork in you.
So notice who begins the work.
God does, and it's notabstractly, it's not that he
begins the work out theresomewhere.
No, he begins the work where,in you, in you.
He begins to work in you.
(08:09):
Salvation is not a humanachievement, it's a divine
initiative.
It doesn't start with ourresolve, it doesn't start with
our decision, it doesn't startwith our morality.
No, it starts with god's graceand god's power.
He called you, he opened youreyes, he brought you
(08:31):
understanding of the gospel, ofwhat jesus did in dying for your
sins and rising from the deadto give you eternal life.
He gave you faith, he began thework, and that's incredibly
freeing.
And that's incredibly freeing,actually, it's incredibly
freeing.
You don't look, you don't climbyour way into salvation and you
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won't maintain it by sheerwillpower.
The same God who began the workis the one who sustains it.
That's what we see first.
Look what else.
It's a good work, but it's notfinished yet.
The apostle Paul here callssalvation a good work, he who
began a good work in you.
(09:13):
Now that includes regeneration,or being born again, as we've
called it.
That includes justification,that is to say being declared by
God that you are righteousbefore Him, based on your faith
in Jesus.
That is also to saysanctification, that is, being
made more like Christ by thepower of the Holy Spirit.
(09:34):
And it also includesglorification, which is our
future resurrection and ourfuture perfection.
And so the work of salvationhas a beginning, a middle and a
glorious end.
But the reality is this thereality is that many christians
get discouraged, and maybe youcan testify to this.
Many christians get discouragedbecause they see their flaws
(09:57):
and they see their failures andthey wonder how could I struggle
?
How could I still struggle likethis if I'm saved?
Anybody ever been there?
Yeah, but god's word reminds uswe're still in process.
We're still in process.
(10:18):
God's work in you is notfinished, but it is good.
And so every moment, everymoment of growth, every step of
obedience, every battle with sinis part of his master plan to
make you more like Jesus.
Look what else it says We'llcomplete it until the day of
(10:39):
Jesus Christ.
So God will complete the work.
This is the heart of thepromise.
God finishes what he starts.
The word complete here in theoriginal language, the Greek
language in which it was written, the word complete means to
bring to full maturity, it meansto carry something through to
(11:00):
the end.
And so there's no doubt here,in the Apostle Paul's voice and
in the through the Holy Spirit,there's just confidence If God
started the work, he will finishit.
And so, the day of Jesus Christlook at that, the day of Jesus
Christ.
That refers to the return ofChrist, when every believer will
be fully transformed andfinally perfected.
(11:22):
And so, until that day, fullytransformed and finally
perfected.
And so until that day, god isfaithfully shaping us and on
that day the work will begloriously complete.
So that brings deep assurance.
If you are saved, it bringsdeep assurance if you're saved.
(11:43):
Saved, it brings deep assurance.
If you're saved, that meansthat means your salvation is not
hanging by a thread.
That means your securitydoesn't depend on you, that your
performance does not sustainyou.
You are kept by thefaithfulness of god, and that's
our hope, that's our security.
We persevere in faith becausegod preserves us by his grace.
(12:06):
Let me give you an illustration.
Imagine walking past a massiveconstruction site.
There's still plenty of themaround the area.
You can go by and see a lot ofthem these days.
You're walking past a massiveconstruction site and at first
it appears to be chaos.
There's exposed beams, there'sunfinished rooms, there's these
(12:28):
scattered tools around, there'sequipment sitting around.
But over on the edge of theproperty tools around, there's
equipment sitting around, butover on the edge of the property
there is a large sign with arendering of the final design,
and it's beautiful and it'scomplete and it's intentional.
(12:51):
That's your life in Christ.
That's your life in Christ.
Oh, it might look messy now.
It could be that you mightstill see scaffolding and
unfinished walls, but I want toremind you this morning that God
, the master builder, is at work, and I'm glad to tell you that
he never abandons his projects.
What he starts, he finishes,and the blueprint is already
(13:12):
drawn.
You will look like jesus.
So what does this mean for dailyliving?
Well, first of all, this truthshould lead us to confidence,
not complacency.
So if you're struggling thismorning, take heart.
(13:34):
God is still working.
If you're growing, if you lookat your life and you can say,
okay, I might not be where Iwant to be, but there's growth,
I'm growing.
If that's true, then rejoice inthat, because that's evidence
of his spirit in you.
If you're doubting, come back tothis promise he will complete
(13:59):
what he started.
Now.
It doesn't make us passive.
It actually makes us hopefuland faithful.
We keep running, we keeptrusting, we keep repenting, not
to stay saved, but because weare saved and we know God is
still at work.
And so when you grow weary inthe battle, remember who started
(14:20):
this work and trust that hewill finish it.
Keep your eyes on the day ofChrist.
The reality is, it could be thatyou're here this morning and
you might feel overwhelmed thismorning by how far you still
have to go.
Maybe you look at your life andyou think, man, I've still got
ways to go.
(14:40):
But god is not finished.
The work he began in you isgood and he will see it through.
Now, if you're not saved, Imean You're not a Christian.
(15:00):
God is calling you today and ifhe begins the work in your
heart, drawing you to Jesus, youcan be confident that he will
carry it all the way Tocompletion.
So, believe on Jesus today,believe on Christ today, repent
of your sin today.
Lean into that calling.
(15:21):
That's happening.
So if true believers continue tobelieve, why?
Well, the second big truth Iwant us to see is in hebrews 10.
Let's turn there, hebrews 10,and it's this not only does god
(15:48):
finish what he starts, butanother reason that true
believers continue to believe isbecause saving faith perseveres
.
Saving faith perseveres.
If philippians, chapter 1,verse 6, gives us confidence
that god finishes what he starts, then hebrews 10 shows us how
(16:09):
that truth plays out in reallife.
Because, look, true faith isnot in a moment of time.
True faith is not in a momentin time, but it's in lifelong
(16:33):
perseverance.
It's not in a moment of time,it's in lifelong perseverance.
We have really, uh, messed thisup very much in the church in
the 20th century and on into the21st century.
We have.
We have truncated the gospel.
We have reduced salvation toconvincing people that if
there's a moment in time whereyou will simply repeat this
(16:54):
prayer after me and I'll writethe date in the fly leaf of your
Bible and now that's yourspiritual birthday and if you
prayed that prayer, then you'resaved, and then life goes on.
And we've got folks who, forthe last 30 or 40 years since
that date that was written intheir Bible, they have no
(17:18):
interest in the things of God,they have no desire to be around
God's people, they don't wantto read God's Word, they don't
want to serve Him, they don'tlove Him, they don't want to
crucify their flesh and allowJesus to be Lord of their life.
But yet somebody told them ifyou'll pray that prayer, cliff,
if you'll repeat after me,you'll punch your ticket, I'll
(17:38):
mark down the day.
And now, once saved, alwayssaved, because you did that, you
did that, saving faith, truefaith, is not a moment in time,
it's not a moment, it's alifelong, it's lifelong
perseverance.
(18:00):
Let's look at hebrews 10.
He was saying let's pick it upin verse 35 again therefore, do
not cast away your confidence,which has great reward, for you
have need of endurance so that,after you have done the will of
god, you may receive the promise.
And he quotes old testament foryet a little while, and he who
(18:23):
is coming will come and will nottarry.
Now, the just shall live byfaith.
But if anyone draws back, mysoul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition, but of
those who believe to the savingof the soul.
And so this passage that wejust read reminds us that saving
(18:45):
faith is persevering faith, andthat one reason it's one reason
that true believers continue tobelieve, because saving faith
is persevering faith.
The Christian life is not I justwant to say it again the
Christian life is not about asingle decision made years ago.
(19:05):
It is about a daily walk oftrusting Christ, even through
hardship.
And so these verses that wejust read really do exhort us
and challenge us with sometruths regarding persevering
faith.
Let's just kind of hit them,let's walk through them.
First of all, verse 35 saysdon't throw away your confidence
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.
Don't throw away yourconfidence.
Therefore, do not cast awayyour confidence, which has great
reward.
So the context of Hebrews isthis the believers who are
addressed in Hebrews were facingpersecution, they were facing
pressure, they were facing thetemptation to retreat and in
fact some if you read verse 32through 34, some had already
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endured public shame and theyhad lost all their possessions.
And now they're growing weary.
And so the Holy Spirit, throughthe author of Hebrews, urges
them don't give up now, don'twalk away.
Hold on to Christ.
(20:12):
And this is the same word forus today.
Because listen, when the costis high, when the trials are
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long, when the answers are slow,don't cast away your confidence
.
Why the Scripture says becauseit has great reward.
There is eternal glory on theother side of present suffering.
Let's keep going.
Verse 36.
For you have need of endurance,so you need endurance.
Endurance Also, in some of theEnglish translations, can be
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translated patient perseverance.
You need patient perseverance,you need endurance.
And that's not a passivewaiting, it is an active,
faithful holding on to Christ inthe face of pressure.
I know it's an old cliche, butit's true.
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I'll go ahead and say it.
Here's the old cliche theChristian life is a marathon,
not a sprint.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
I believe you'd agree with methis morning.
You'd say, man, I think wecould all go around the room and
testify.
There are days of joy, butthere are also seasons of deep
testing, isn't that true?
(21:42):
There are, and what endurancedoes?
Enduring faith, perseveringfaith.
Endurance keeps believing whenthe healing hasn't come.
Faith Endurance keeps believingwhen the healing hasn't come.
Endurance keeps you obeyingwhen your family and your
co-workers mock your faith.
Endurance keeps showing up inworship when your heart feels
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heavy.
Endurance keeps trusting Jesus,even when you don't see how the
situation resolves.
And notice here we needendurance not to earn salvation,
but because we already have itand we're walking toward the
fulfillment of that promise.
Let's keep going.
(22:28):
Verse 38.
Now the just shall live byfaith.
The word just, a synonym forjust, is righteous.
Now the righteous shall live byfaith.
We could say it this way thosein right standing with God shall
live by faith.
Those who have been made rightin God's sight shall live by
(22:50):
faith.
The just shall live by faith.
This phrase in verse 38 echoesthe prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk
, chapter 2, verse 4 in the OldTestament, and it's actually
quoted three times in the NewTestament and it captures the
heart of the gospel.
And that is this that we arejustified, that is to say, we
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are made right with God by faithin Jesus and nothing else.
We're put in right standingwith God through faith in Jesus,
nothing else.
We are justified by faith andwe live by faith.
Listen, we don't live byexplanations, we don't live by
(23:38):
demanding answers, we live byfaith.
Faith isn't just how we beganthe Christian life, it's how we
continue every day.
We walk by faith, trusting God.
We obey by faith trusting God.
We obey by faith, trusting God.
We endure by faith trusting God.
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Now, true faith doesn't mean wenever struggle, but it means we
keep returning to Jesus as ouronly hope.
We might fall, but we don'tforsake.
We might doubt, but we don'tdesert.
And that's not the dessert youeat and enjoy.
That's not what I'm talkingabout.
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That's military lingo, that'sarmy lingo.
You don't desert, you're not adeserter, you don't go awol.
We might doubt, but you don'tdesert.
Amen.
Verse 38.
Look at verse 38.
You don't desert, amen.
Verse 38.
Look at verse 38.
This is tough, though, righthere, verse 38.
God is speaking, but if anyonedraws back, my soul has no
(24:46):
pleasure in him.
This is a sober warning.
Those who abandon Christ, thosewho fully and finally walk away
, prove that they were nevertruly His.
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who stumble.
(25:07):
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who doubt.
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who struggle.
It describes those who turnback permanently, rejecting the
gospel and renouncing Christ.
And this is why perseverancematters Not because we earn
salvation by enduring, butbecause those who are truly
(25:30):
saved will endure, will endure,We'll endure.
Look at verse 39.
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition Perdition
is another word for destruction.
We're not those who turn backto destruction.
We're not those who turn backto damnation, to destruction.
(25:55):
We're not those who turn backto damnation, condemnation, but
of those who believe to thesaving of the soul.
This is a declaration ofconfidence.
This is a declaration ofencouragement.
In other words, listen, truebelievers, keep believing.
True believers, keep believing.
True believers, continue tobelieve.
Keep believing True believers,continue to believe.
(26:19):
Their faith is real, notperfect but persevering, not
flawless but enduring.
And so if your faith thismorning is in Jesus today I'm
talking about for real if you'retrusting in him, if your faith
is in Jesus today and youcontinue trusting him tomorrow
(26:39):
and you continue trusting himthe next day, and on and on.
Then you are among those whobelieve, to use the words of the
scripture, to the saving of thesoul.
Saving of the soul.
The great British Baptist pastorof the 19th century, charles
Spurgeon, once said.
(27:03):
He said faith is like a rope wecling to over a deep chasm.
It's not the strength of ourhands that keep us from falling,
but the strength of the rope.
And so our endurance doesn'trest in our ability, it rests in
the strength of our Savior.
And we keep holding on becausehe is holding us.
And so endurance orperseverance, we can use that
word.
Endurance, perseverance, it'snot a work of the flesh, it's
(27:29):
not just your willpower.
Endurance, perseverance is afruit of the Spirit who indwells
you.
It's evidence of the fruit ofthe Spirit.
So when you see let meencourage you when you see your
faith enduring through trials,when you see your faith enduring
(27:52):
through temptations, when yousay, when you see your faith
enduring over time, it's not asign of your strength but of
God's sustaining power.
It's a sign of the Holy Spiritwho lives inside of you.
It's a sign of the life ofChrist in you.
The apostle Paul said the life Ilive, I do not live it in the
flesh because I've beencrucified with Christ.
(28:15):
I live the life.
I live by the power of God,because Christ lives in me.
This is why it's God'ssustaining power.
This is why the biblical truthof the perseverance of believers
matters, not that Christiansnever struggle, but that true
Christians never abandon Christ.
(28:36):
Why?
Because he never abandons them.
He never abandons them.
Keep going, keep going.
Don't let weariness don't letsufferinginess, don't let
suffering, don't let depression,don't let discouragement rob
(29:01):
you of the reward, because yoursavior is worth it.
He's with you every step, everystep.
I want to tell you if yourfaith is in jesus I mean if your
faith is in Jesus, I meanreally if your faith is in Jesus
, then your faith is genuine,because it's not your hold on
Christ that matters most, it'sHis hold on you.
(29:21):
And listen, if you're not saved, if you're not a follower of
Christ and, by the way, you knowthat, whether you are or not,
be honest with yourself you knowwhether or not you are a
follower of Jesus.
And so, if you're not afollower of Jesus, there is only
one way to endure to the end,and that is by being made new in
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Christ.
Don't delay.
Don't delay, repent and trustHim today and begin a journey of
faith that leads to eternallife, not just your possession
of it now, but ultimately andfully and completely in eternity
.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach,florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(30:22):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
word.
Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my
path.
That's Psalm 119, 105.
Welcome to Foundations of Truthwith Pastor Timothy Mann from
Providence Church in OrmondBeach, Florida.
Join us now as we let God'sword illuminate our lives and
guide us into his truth today.
Today's message is from the GodSaves series.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
So we're going to start in the little letter of
Philippians.
Philippians, chapter 1, chapter1.
And then from there we'll turnto the right in our Bibles, to
Hebrews, chapter 10, hebrews 10and 1 Peter, chapter 1.
Philippians, chapter 1, verse 6.
We're going to focus on oneverse in Philippians 1 and then
(00:42):
we'll move through Philippians,chapter 1, verse 6.
The Bible says God's Word says,being confident of this very
thing, that he who has begun agood work in you will complete
it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Now go with me to Hebrews,chapter 10.
Hebrews, chapter 10.
(01:04):
Now go with me to Hebrews,chapter 10.
Hebrews, chapter 10.
We'll look at verse 35 down toverse 39.
Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 35through 39.
The Bible says Therefore, donot cast away your confidence,
(01:26):
which has great reward, for youhave need of endurance so that,
after you have done the will ofGod, you may receive the promise
.
And then he quotes the OldTestament For yet a little while
, and he who is coming will comeand will not tarry.
Now the just shall live byfaith.
But if anyone draws back, mysoul has no pleasure in him.
(01:48):
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition, but of
those who believe to the savingof the soul.
1 Peter, chapter 1.
We'll read verses 3 through 9.
1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 9.
Verse peter 1.
Verse 3 through9.
The bible says blessed be thegod and father of our lord,
(02:14):
jesus christ, who, according tohis abundant mercy, has begotten
us again to a living hopethrough the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, toan inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled and that does notfade away, reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by thepower of God through faith For
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salvation, ready to be revealedin the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice,for though now for a little
while, if need be, you have beengrieved by various trials that
the genuineness of your faith,being much more precious than
(03:00):
gold that perishes Though it istested by fire, may be found to
praise, honor and glory at therevelation of Jesus Christ whom,
having not seen you love, andthough now you do not see him
yet believing, you rejoice withjoy inexpressible and full of
glory, receiving the end of yourfaith, the salvation of your
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souls.
It is God's Word.
So what happens after we'resaved?
In this series, we've seen thatwe are saved by God's grace
alone, through faith in Christalone.
We've seen that God forgivesour sin and that he puts us in
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right standing with him when wegenuinely believe on Jesus, in
repentant faith.
We've seen that we've been madenew by being born again from
above, also adopted by God intohis forever family.
What a blessing.
God into his forever family,what a blessing.
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And we've also seen, we'velearned, that we are safe in his
hands because Jesus is ourshepherd and we are his sheep.
Isn't that good?
All right, but what about thelong journey ahead?
I mean, what about when thepath gets hard, when doubts
creep in, when suffering comes,when sin resurfaces, when we
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feel weak, weary and afraid?
Well, that's where the truth oftoday's message, where the
truth of God's Word, reallymatters deeply.
And the truth is this I'll juststate it this way and we'll
move from here those who aregenuinely saved.
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Now you may have a differentview, but I believe God's word
really is pretty clear aboutthis, and we'll walk through
this as we go through it.
Those who are genuinely savedwill endure to the end, not by
their own strength, but by god'ssustaining grace.
In other words, let me put itthis way saving faith is
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enduring faith.
Saving faith is enduring faithnot because we are strong, but
because god is faithful.
The bible, again, I I stand onthis, on what I believe is the
truth of god's word.
The bible never teaches thattrue believers can ultimately
and finally fall away and losetheir salvation.
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However, it does teach thattrue believers continue to
believe.
It teaches that true believerscontinue to believe they
persevere, not in perfection,but in repentance, not without
failure, but without finalfalling away.
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And why?
Well, because the god who savedthem is the God who keeps them.
And I'll tell you this morningthat's a promise.
You can build your life on that.
The God who saves you is theGod who keeps you.
You can build your life on thatpromise.
I want us to explore three keytruths as we consider why true
(06:23):
believers in Jesus continue tobelieve.
Why do true believers in Jesuscontinue to believe?
If you've ever felt weak inyour faith, if you've ever
wondered whether you're going tomake it to the end, then this
message is for you.
So let's begin with one of themost, I believe, reassuring
verses in all of Scripture, backin Philippians 1.
(06:44):
Philippians 1.
Let's start with that.
Philippians 1, verse 6.
Being confident of this verything that he who has begun a
good work in you will completeit until the day of Jesus Christ
.
That single sentence from theApostle Paul, from the Holy
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Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, is a bedrock for our assurance
and our hope, because it speaksnot only of how salvation
begins, but it also speaks ofhow it continues and how it
ultimately ends.
So we'll start with thispowerful truth that, if true
believers continue to believe,why?
(07:26):
Why is that?
Well, first, and I would evensay most importantly, it's this
God finishes what he starts.
God finishes what he starts.
Philippians, chapter 1, verse 6.
So let's unpack this some,verse 6.
Put your eyes on it.
Let's unpack it some.
First of all, we see in verse 6.
So let's unpack this some,verse 6.
Put your eyes on it.
Let's unpack it some.
First of all, we see in verse 6that salvation begins with God.
(07:48):
It says he who began a goodwork in you.
So notice who begins the work.
God does, and it's notabstractly, it's not that he
begins the work out theresomewhere.
No, he begins the work where,in you, in you.
He begins to work in you.
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Salvation is not a humanachievement, it's a divine
initiative.
It doesn't start with ourresolve, it doesn't start with
our decision, it doesn't startwith our morality.
No, it starts with god's graceand god's power.
He called you, he opened youreyes, he brought you
(08:31):
understanding of the gospel, ofwhat jesus did in dying for your
sins and rising from the deadto give you eternal life.
He gave you faith, he began thework, and that's incredibly
freeing.
And that's incredibly freeing,actually, it's incredibly
freeing.
You don't look, you don't climbyour way into salvation and you
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won't maintain it by sheerwillpower.
The same God who began the workis the one who sustains it.
That's what we see first.
Look what else.
It's a good work, but it's notfinished yet.
The apostle Paul here callssalvation a good work, he who
began a good work in you.
(09:13):
Now that includes regeneration,or being born again, as we've
called it.
That includes justification,that is to say being declared by
God that you are righteousbefore Him, based on your faith
in Jesus.
That is also to saysanctification, that is, being
made more like Christ by thepower of the Holy Spirit.
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And it also includesglorification, which is our
future resurrection and ourfuture perfection.
And so the work of salvationhas a beginning, a middle and a
glorious end.
But the reality is this thereality is that many christians
get discouraged, and maybe youcan testify to this.
Many christians get discouragedbecause they see their flaws
(09:57):
and they see their failures andthey wonder how could I struggle
?
How could I still struggle likethis if I'm saved?
Anybody ever been there?
Yeah, but god's word reminds uswe're still in process.
We're still in process.
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God's work in you is notfinished, but it is good.
And so every moment, everymoment of growth, every step of
obedience, every battle with sinis part of his master plan to
make you more like Jesus.
Look what else it says We'llcomplete it until the day of
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Jesus Christ.
So God will complete the work.
This is the heart of thepromise.
God finishes what he starts.
The word complete here in theoriginal language, the Greek
language in which it was written, the word complete means to
bring to full maturity, it meansto carry something through to
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the end.
And so there's no doubt here,in the Apostle Paul's voice and
in the through the Holy Spirit,there's just confidence If God
started the work, he will finishit.
And so, the day of Jesus Christlook at that, the day of Jesus
Christ.
That refers to the return ofChrist, when every believer will
be fully transformed andfinally perfected.
(11:22):
And so, until that day, fullytransformed and finally
perfected.
And so until that day, god isfaithfully shaping us and on
that day the work will begloriously complete.
So that brings deep assurance.
If you are saved, it bringsdeep assurance if you're saved.
(11:43):
Saved, it brings deep assurance.
If you're saved, that meansthat means your salvation is not
hanging by a thread.
That means your securitydoesn't depend on you, that your
performance does not sustainyou.
You are kept by thefaithfulness of god, and that's
our hope, that's our security.
We persevere in faith becausegod preserves us by his grace.
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Let me give you an illustration.
Imagine walking past a massiveconstruction site.
There's still plenty of themaround the area.
You can go by and see a lot ofthem these days.
You're walking past a massiveconstruction site and at first
it appears to be chaos.
There's exposed beams, there'sunfinished rooms, there's these
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scattered tools around, there'sequipment sitting around.
But over on the edge of theproperty tools around, there's
equipment sitting around, butover on the edge of the property
there is a large sign with arendering of the final design,
and it's beautiful and it'scomplete and it's intentional.
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That's your life in Christ.
That's your life in Christ.
Oh, it might look messy now.
It could be that you mightstill see scaffolding and
unfinished walls, but I want toremind you this morning that God
, the master builder, is at work, and I'm glad to tell you that
he never abandons his projects.
What he starts, he finishes,and the blueprint is already
(13:12):
drawn.
You will look like jesus.
So what does this mean for dailyliving?
Well, first of all, this truthshould lead us to confidence,
not complacency.
So if you're struggling thismorning, take heart.
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God is still working.
If you're growing, if you lookat your life and you can say,
okay, I might not be where Iwant to be, but there's growth,
I'm growing.
If that's true, then rejoice inthat, because that's evidence
of his spirit in you.
If you're doubting, come back tothis promise he will complete
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what he started.
Now.
It doesn't make us passive.
It actually makes us hopefuland faithful.
We keep running, we keeptrusting, we keep repenting, not
to stay saved, but because weare saved and we know God is
still at work.
And so when you grow weary inthe battle, remember who started
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this work and trust that hewill finish it.
Keep your eyes on the day ofChrist.
The reality is, it could be thatyou're here this morning and
you might feel overwhelmed thismorning by how far you still
have to go.
Maybe you look at your life andyou think, man, I've still got
ways to go.
(14:40):
But god is not finished.
The work he began in you isgood and he will see it through.
Now, if you're not saved, Imean You're not a Christian.
(15:00):
God is calling you today and ifhe begins the work in your
heart, drawing you to Jesus, youcan be confident that he will
carry it all the way Tocompletion.
So, believe on Jesus today,believe on Christ today, repent
of your sin today.
Lean into that calling.
(15:21):
That's happening.
So if true believers continue tobelieve, why?
Well, the second big truth Iwant us to see is in hebrews 10.
Let's turn there, hebrews 10,and it's this not only does god
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finish what he starts, butanother reason that true
believers continue to believe isbecause saving faith perseveres
.
Saving faith perseveres.
If philippians, chapter 1,verse 6, gives us confidence
that god finishes what he starts, then hebrews 10 shows us how
(16:09):
that truth plays out in reallife.
Because, look, true faith isnot in a moment of time.
True faith is not in a momentin time, but it's in lifelong
(16:33):
perseverance.
It's not in a moment of time,it's in lifelong perseverance.
We have really, uh, messed thisup very much in the church in
the 20th century and on into the21st century.
We have.
We have truncated the gospel.
We have reduced salvation toconvincing people that if
there's a moment in time whereyou will simply repeat this
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prayer after me and I'll writethe date in the fly leaf of your
Bible and now that's yourspiritual birthday and if you
prayed that prayer, then you'resaved, and then life goes on.
And we've got folks who, forthe last 30 or 40 years since
that date that was written intheir Bible, they have no
(17:18):
interest in the things of God,they have no desire to be around
God's people, they don't wantto read God's Word, they don't
want to serve Him, they don'tlove Him, they don't want to
crucify their flesh and allowJesus to be Lord of their life.
But yet somebody told them ifyou'll pray that prayer, cliff,
if you'll repeat after me,you'll punch your ticket, I'll
(17:38):
mark down the day.
And now, once saved, alwayssaved, because you did that, you
did that, saving faith, truefaith, is not a moment in time,
it's not a moment, it's alifelong, it's lifelong
perseverance.
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Let's look at hebrews 10.
He was saying let's pick it upin verse 35 again therefore, do
not cast away your confidence,which has great reward, for you
have need of endurance so that,after you have done the will of
god, you may receive the promise.
And he quotes old testament foryet a little while, and he who
(18:23):
is coming will come and will nottarry.
Now, the just shall live byfaith.
But if anyone draws back, mysoul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition, but of
those who believe to the savingof the soul.
And so this passage that wejust read reminds us that saving
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faith is persevering faith, andthat one reason it's one reason
that true believers continue tobelieve, because saving faith
is persevering faith.
The Christian life is not I justwant to say it again the
Christian life is not about asingle decision made years ago.
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It is about a daily walk oftrusting Christ, even through
hardship.
And so these verses that wejust read really do exhort us
and challenge us with sometruths regarding persevering
faith.
Let's just kind of hit them,let's walk through them.
First of all, verse 35 saysdon't throw away your confidence
(19:28):
.
Don't throw away yourconfidence.
Therefore, do not cast awayyour confidence, which has great
reward.
So the context of Hebrews isthis the believers who are
addressed in Hebrews were facingpersecution, they were facing
pressure, they were facing thetemptation to retreat and in
fact some if you read verse 32through 34, some had already
(19:51):
endured public shame and theyhad lost all their possessions.
And now they're growing weary.
And so the Holy Spirit, throughthe author of Hebrews, urges
them don't give up now, don'twalk away.
Hold on to Christ.
(20:12):
And this is the same word forus today.
Because listen, when the costis high, when the trials are
(20:35):
long, when the answers are slow,don't cast away your confidence
.
Why the Scripture says becauseit has great reward.
There is eternal glory on theother side of present suffering.
Let's keep going.
Verse 36.
For you have need of endurance,so you need endurance.
Endurance Also, in some of theEnglish translations, can be
(20:59):
translated patient perseverance.
You need patient perseverance,you need endurance.
And that's not a passivewaiting, it is an active,
faithful holding on to Christ inthe face of pressure.
I know it's an old cliche, butit's true.
(21:21):
I'll go ahead and say it.
Here's the old cliche theChristian life is a marathon,
not a sprint.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
I believe you'd agree with methis morning.
You'd say, man, I think wecould all go around the room and
testify.
There are days of joy, butthere are also seasons of deep
testing, isn't that true?
(21:42):
There are, and what endurancedoes?
Enduring faith, perseveringfaith.
Endurance keeps believing whenthe healing hasn't come.
Faith Endurance keeps believingwhen the healing hasn't come.
Endurance keeps you obeyingwhen your family and your
co-workers mock your faith.
Endurance keeps showing up inworship when your heart feels
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heavy.
Endurance keeps trusting Jesus,even when you don't see how the
situation resolves.
And notice here we needendurance not to earn salvation,
but because we already have itand we're walking toward the
fulfillment of that promise.
Let's keep going.
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Verse 38.
Now the just shall live byfaith.
The word just, a synonym forjust, is righteous.
Now the righteous shall live byfaith.
We could say it this way thosein right standing with God shall
live by faith.
Those who have been made rightin God's sight shall live by
(22:50):
faith.
The just shall live by faith.
This phrase in verse 38 echoesthe prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk
, chapter 2, verse 4 in the OldTestament, and it's actually
quoted three times in the NewTestament and it captures the
heart of the gospel.
And that is this that we arejustified, that is to say, we
(23:12):
are made right with God by faithin Jesus and nothing else.
We're put in right standingwith God through faith in Jesus,
nothing else.
We are justified by faith andwe live by faith.
Listen, we don't live byexplanations, we don't live by
(23:38):
demanding answers, we live byfaith.
Faith isn't just how we beganthe Christian life, it's how we
continue every day.
We walk by faith, trusting God.
We obey by faith trusting God.
We obey by faith, trusting God.
We endure by faith trusting God.
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Now, true faith doesn't mean wenever struggle, but it means we
keep returning to Jesus as ouronly hope.
We might fall, but we don'tforsake.
We might doubt, but we don'tdesert.
And that's not the dessert youeat and enjoy.
That's not what I'm talkingabout.
(24:18):
That's military lingo, that'sarmy lingo.
You don't desert, you're not adeserter, you don't go awol.
We might doubt, but you don'tdesert.
Amen.
Verse 38.
Look at verse 38.
You don't desert, amen.
Verse 38.
Look at verse 38.
This is tough, though, righthere, verse 38.
God is speaking, but if anyonedraws back, my soul has no
(24:46):
pleasure in him.
This is a sober warning.
Those who abandon Christ, thosewho fully and finally walk away
, prove that they were nevertruly His.
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who stumble.
(25:07):
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who doubt.
This isn't talking aboutbelievers who struggle.
It describes those who turnback permanently, rejecting the
gospel and renouncing Christ.
And this is why perseverancematters Not because we earn
salvation by enduring, butbecause those who are truly
(25:30):
saved will endure, will endure,We'll endure.
Look at verse 39.
But we are not of those whodraw back to perdition Perdition
is another word for destruction.
We're not those who turn backto destruction.
We're not those who turn backto damnation, to destruction.
(25:55):
We're not those who turn backto damnation, condemnation, but
of those who believe to thesaving of the soul.
This is a declaration ofconfidence.
This is a declaration ofencouragement.
In other words, listen, truebelievers, keep believing.
True believers, keep believing.
True believers, continue tobelieve.
Keep believing True believers,continue to believe.
(26:19):
Their faith is real, notperfect but persevering, not
flawless but enduring.
And so if your faith thismorning is in Jesus today I'm
talking about for real if you'retrusting in him, if your faith
is in Jesus today and youcontinue trusting him tomorrow
(26:39):
and you continue trusting himthe next day, and on and on.
Then you are among those whobelieve, to use the words of the
scripture, to the saving of thesoul.
Saving of the soul.
The great British Baptist pastorof the 19th century, charles
Spurgeon, once said.
(27:03):
He said faith is like a rope wecling to over a deep chasm.
It's not the strength of ourhands that keep us from falling,
but the strength of the rope.
And so our endurance doesn'trest in our ability, it rests in
the strength of our Savior.
And we keep holding on becausehe is holding us.
And so endurance orperseverance, we can use that
word.
Endurance, perseverance, it'snot a work of the flesh, it's
(27:29):
not just your willpower.
Endurance, perseverance is afruit of the Spirit who indwells
you.
It's evidence of the fruit ofthe Spirit.
So when you see let meencourage you when you see your
faith enduring through trials,when you see your faith enduring
(27:52):
through temptations, when yousay, when you see your faith
enduring over time, it's not asign of your strength but of
God's sustaining power.
It's a sign of the Holy Spiritwho lives inside of you.
It's a sign of the life ofChrist in you.
The apostle Paul said the life Ilive, I do not live it in the
flesh because I've beencrucified with Christ.
(28:15):
I live the life.
I live by the power of God,because Christ lives in me.
This is why it's God'ssustaining power.
This is why the biblical truthof the perseverance of believers
matters, not that Christiansnever struggle, but that true
Christians never abandon Christ.
(28:36):
Why?
Because he never abandons them.
He never abandons them.
Keep going, keep going.
Don't let weariness don't letsufferinginess, don't let
suffering, don't let depression,don't let discouragement rob
(29:01):
you of the reward, because yoursavior is worth it.
He's with you every step, everystep.
I want to tell you if yourfaith is in jesus I mean if your
faith is in Jesus, I meanreally if your faith is in Jesus
, then your faith is genuine,because it's not your hold on
Christ that matters most, it'sHis hold on you.
(29:21):
And listen, if you're not saved, if you're not a follower of
Christ and, by the way, you knowthat, whether you are or not,
be honest with yourself you knowwhether or not you are a
follower of Jesus.
And so, if you're not afollower of Jesus, there is only
one way to endure to the end,and that is by being made new in
(29:44):
Christ.
Don't delay.
Don't delay, repent and trustHim today and begin a journey of
faith that leads to eternallife, not just your possession
of it now, but ultimately andfully and completely in eternity
.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach,florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(30:22):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
word.
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