I Have A Friend Who…
Believes That Once You Are Saved You Can Do Whatever You Want…
TODAY – we conclude our message series, I Have A Friend Who… The theme verse for this series is 1 Peter 3:15 “…always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
The goal of this message series has been twofold; FIRST – to equip us to do what God commands us to do in 1 Peter 3:15 – TO make a defense of the gospel – TO answer the questions that those who are honestly seeking God may have… AND – the second goal has been – TO re-enforce and firm up our own faith, to give us more confidence in what and why we believe & to give us, a greater eagerness to share the truth. LISTEN – the Christian faith has it’s reasons – it is not a faith for the brain dead.
ON February 2nd, we saw HOW evidence like, a Little Debbie Nutty Bar, the incredible design of creation (an incredible design that demands an incredible designer, the moral law – the sense of right and wrong that is woven into the soul of every human being, in all cultures and in all time. AND HOW changed lives point to the existence of [a non contingent, uncaused by anything else, self sufficient, self reliant, powerful, intelligent, all existing, unique and moral God who loves us.
AND in week 2 - we saw HOW – the bible is not just another book – it is unique (it is in a class of it’s own). No other book – have been translated into more languages, No other book has been more published… No other book has been so viscously attacked and it still remains - No other book speaks so clearly and powerfully to the human heart… No other book has such lasting appeal [the psalms are 3000+ year old poetry]… And no other book has such incredible diversity in it’s composition (40 + writers, 1500 years) AND the bible is accurate (we can trust what it says) and it’s supernatural (it knows stuff that only God the Creator could know)… LISTEN – if God who we know exists were to write a book – we would expect that book to be just like the bible…
In week 3; we exposed 4 myths in regards to the new sexual ethic that our culture has embraced; The 4 myths we exposed were - sex is just a physical thing; sex is such a powerful drive it cannot be controlled; living together is a good idea; #4 - there really are no good reasons to wait until you are married to have sex… [and listen we ‘nuked’ that 4th myth by giving 4 powerful reasons why you should wait until you are married to have sex – your future spouse wants you to wait; your future children wants you to wait, the future spouse of the person you are now dating wants you to wait and Jesus Christ wants you to wait…]
In week 4 we saw that Jesus was so much more than just a great man – we saw that He is the very Son of God… In week 5 we saw that the statement, “all religions are the same,” cannot be true. WHY? – because every religion makes different claims about; God, the after life and salvation… AND we ended that message by viewing a video of something that only one religion has – Jesus Christ… UNDERSTAND – only one religion has God dying for his people, suffering and bleeding a cross just so He could BE with you.…
AND – the last two Sundays using the bible as our authority, we have talked about the reality of heaven & hell… in a message called, I Have A Friend Who Doesn’t Believe In Heaven Or In Hell.
FRIENDS – heaven is real and it is going to be incredible – FOREVER.
And hell is real and it is going to be horrifying – FOREVER.
UNDERSTAND – there are 2 eternities and YOU get to choose.
THIS MORNING – I want to wrap up this series with a message called; “I Have A Friend Who Thinks That Once You Are Saved That You Can Do Whatever You Want…” QUESTION – do people really think this way? Do people really believe that once you are saved that regardless of how you live - you can never loose your salvation? YES – many do. AND - it’s a teaching that is sometimes called, The Doctrine of Eternal Security - OR - Once Saved Always Saved…
Sam Morris, a preacher in Stamford, TX wrote an article entitled, "Do A Christian’s sins damn his souls"? Here is a quote from the article:
"We take the position that a Christian’s sin does not damn his soul. The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul...And all the sins he may commit from murder to idolatry will not make his soul in any more danger.”
Bill Foster, a preacher in Louisville KY made this comment:
"If I killed my wife and mother and raped a thousand women I couldn’t go to hell--in fact, I couldn’t go to hell if I wanted to."
NOW – granted those are some extreme examples – HOWEVER – they do represent the logical conclusion of such a teaching… IF – it is impossible to loose your salvation then nothing that you do can effect it…
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS – in addition to Sam & Bill - there really is a large number of people who claim Christ as Savior, YET – who live as though;
growing in their faith;
maturing in their walk;
being like Christ;
AND staying away from sin doesn’t really matter all that much.
WHY? BECAUSE, they are saved… (what do you think about that kind of thinking?)
AND – let me make something ‘perfectly clear’ Though The Christian Church – does not believe that Once Saved Always Saved; is true, that is a biblical teaching --- through what I have observed over the years there are a large number of people in the Christian church who are in FACT - living like and are betting their eternity that it is true…
LISTEN – the teaching of Once Saved Always Saved, is not what we find in the bible… NOW – I know there are some who disagree with me on this. THEREFORE – what we have here is pretty much the same thing we had in our message I Have A Friend Who Thinks All Religions Are The Same…
We have has 2 teachings that make entirely different claims; one says that salvation can never be lost the other that salvation can be lost… AND – the bottom line is that both of these teachings cannot be true… They’re opposite, the contradict, one is false…
QUESTION - But does it even matter? I MEAN - should we even bother taking the time to talk about this subject today?
WELL – let’s assume for the sake of argument that Bill has been taught his whole life that once you are saved you can never loose your salvation. THEREFORE - he doesn’t really worry about how he lives… When the weekend comes and he wants to do a little (or a lot of ) partying… When consumes the mind altering substance of his choice – when he wants to engage in a little immorality – it’s no big deal… AND – if he never opens his bible (last time he saw it he thinks it was in his trunk) and if never prays, gives, serves or shares his faith – he doesn’t sweat it… AFTER ALL – he is a child of God… and he is eternally secure…
BUT – what if, what Bill has been taught is wrong? What if you can loose your salvation? What if, it really does matter to God how you live after you are saved?
LISTEN – it is just this scenario – that causes me to believe that discussing this topic is worth our time this morning… LISTEN – we need to get this straight… salvation is not a small matter….
BUT – before we really dig in – let me ‘briefly’ explain why people hold to the doctrine of eternal security… YOU SEE – it is all tied to a teaching that took off in the reformation through a man named John Calvin… Among other things Calvin taught that God actually makes the choice of who is going to spend eternity in hell and who is going to spend it in heaven… (Calvin’s god, moves through a nursery at a hospital and says – “you, let see you are going to hell…and you over there are going to heaven”) AND – based on this they believe that if God who is Sovereign (is the ultimate ruler of the universe) – chooses someone to be saved…THEN - that is just the way it is going to be.’
In Calvin’s theology of salvation - there is only one being that has a choice in the matter – God.
PRAYER…
The first point in your outline is….
Salvation Is Awesome!
The bible says;
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. Romans 3:25
You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.”
Col 1:21,22 (CEV)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21
“…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved…through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
Eph 2:4,5,8
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thess 3:16-18
FRIENDS – salvation, getting saved - is SO awesome… THINK – about it (don’t take it for granted), it’s the deal of the ages. We (you & I) sinned – in our thoughts and in our actions, and our sins deserved the wrath of God… deserved death (‘spiritual’ death, separation from God for all eternity)…
AND - there wasn’t a thing we could ever do to change it… Trying harder to do good would never cut it. YES – the picture of man (dead in transgressions) was pretty bleak.
BUT – 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ came to this earth, put on human flesh… YOU SEE – not only did he live among us and He became as one of us. AND – the life Jesus lived was sinless… He did nothing deserving death… YET – He still died a cruel death on a cross; AND - on that cross – Jesus drank the full cup of God’s wrath of sin….
AND LISTEN – because Jesus did this God consider HIS death and HIS spilled blood a payment for our sin… (AND – all we have to do is accept this gift, on “His terms.’ LISTEN – Jesus paid a debt he didn’t owe, to pay a debt that you could never pay!!! and now God lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.
NOW – I don’t know about you but I call that GOOD news!!!
SALVATION – is awesome…. I mean don’t just you love being saved? Isn’t awesome to have someone else pay your debt? Especially a debt that you could pay – not even IF you had all eternity to pay it. AND – do you know what else , salvation gets even better!
YOU SEE – salvation means much more then just having our sins forgiven and having God turn back his wrath,, UNDERSTAND – one day, JESUS will crack the sky and take us home…. To that incredible place called heaven, to the new Jerusalem…. to that heavenly city that will come down from the sky…
OKAY - I want to ask you a couple of questions just to find out where we are on this. NOW – I want you to answer them honest and quick – I want you gut response.
First question: How many of you would like to go to heaven when you die? Okay, a show of hands. Yes, that’s about my guess.
Second question: If you could, how many of you would like to go right now, today, I MEAN - before the lunch lines even start forming at Applebee’s or Long Horns today?
Now, third question, and this one will take a little while to get through so let me go through all the way to the end:
OKAY - how many of you would like to see this old world set right once for all -- no more common colds, no more cancer, no more sorrow, no more gated communities, no more broken hearts, broken dreams or loneliness – no more tears, pain, death or disease, no more sin, no more things to cause to sin, No more separation between people because of color, culture, economics or race… How many would like to live in a world with - No more - divorces, separations or affairs..
No more - abused, neglected, unloved or unwanted children.. No more – unresolved anger, haunting memories or lifelong regrets because of sinful actions… Would you like to live in a world with - no more fighting over who controls the West Bank or Northern Ireland - a world where young men no longer have to leave their families to shed blood in a war…. A world with - no more cruel dictators, like Sadum Hussein…
AND - how many would like to live in a world – where you get new immortal body (the ultimate make over – I mean we get /a body just like Jesus – for those of you who – played flag football all day yesterday – no more sunburn, aching muscles or sore bones); How many would like to live in world where we get a ‘new’ home, a home where we can really belong, a place that’s safe and secure, a place to kick off our shoes, let down our hair, and be ourselves in the company of Jesus and the rest of God’s children. A home – where you ALWAYS – feel 100 %; loved, needed, wanted, accepted, valued, appreciated, respected and understood… How many would like to live in a world where all of your relationships are unhindered, deep, personal, intimate and incredible – I mean just the best kind of connecting/always and forever…
AND – how many would want to live in a world where you see the one you have talked about, prayed to, sung about and read of for years – A world where you see Jesus waiting for you with a huge smile and arms open wide – and these words, “Well done - good & faithful servant. ENTER into the joy of your reward…”
OKAY – now it’s time for your hands – how many long to one day live in a world like that?
LISTEN – if heaven is something you desire – you need to understand that it is salvation that will get you there.
THE – next point in your outline is;
Salvation Is In Christ…
NOW – those ‘in Christ’ are two extremely important words… Let me read some Scripture that talk about being ‘in Christ.’ AND – after I do I think that you will readily agree that ‘in Christ’ is the place to be…
“…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
- Rm 8:1
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 1:4
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Cor 15:22
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ… Eph 1:3-9
LISTEN – ‘everything’ we have is in Christ…
q Eternal life is IN Christ…
q No condemnation is IN Christ…
q Grace is IN Christ…
q Forgiveness is IN Christ…
q Redemption is IN Christ…
q God’s good pleasure is IN Christ…
q Every spiritual blessing is IN Christ…
q AND BEING; made alive, chosen, becoming a new creation is IN Christ
QUESTION – who here wants to be IN Christ?
NEXT QUESTION – How do we get In Christ? Where do we go to find the answer?
WELL – I contend that the place to find the answer is in the pages of Scripture… SO - does the bible tell us how we move INTO Christ… It certainly does, yeah God!
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:3,4
“…for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
- Galatians 3:27
LISTEN – the bible which is the sole authority of whether or not a person is in Christ… Teaches that a lost person moves INTO Christ when they in faith & repentance are baptized…is immersed into Christ.
Salvation IS Awesome! Salvation is IN Christ…. AND:-
Salvation Can Be Lost…
What I want to do now is share with you some of the many passages in the bible, that talk about the reality of salvation being lost, NOW – we are going to look at a ton – and there are even more…
BUT – before I read them – let me point out something that is very important for us to understand, as we study about salvation being lost… (are you ready?)…. Many of the promises God makes to His people are – conditional promises …
QUESTION - what do I mean by this ‘conditional’ stuff?
q Owning a car is conditional - stop making payments and the repo man is coming…
q For my kids driving a car is conditional
q Owning a home is conditional – stop paying the taxes or mortgage & you are out on the street…
q Having a job is conditional – stop doing your work well or stop showing up and what is going to happen?
[BUT – I have a question, can we feel secure – in our home, I MEAN - do we have to live in constant fear that at any moment someone will knock at our door and take it… NO – we just do what is required and then we can and do - rest secure..]
WELL – in like manner even though many of God promises were & are conditional…. HIS people can still rest secure in them – BECAUSE – if they keep up their part of the bargain God would most definitely, keep up his.
Let me read a few Passages that clearly illustrate the conditional nature of salvation;
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Dt 30:15-20
QUESTION – did you see the promises? They would be blessed by God – they would live long in the land… AND – did you also see the conditions? Do not disobey, do not turn away or worship false gods.
OKAY – here’s another passage…. 1 Chronicles 28:9; David is on his death bed – and he speaks some final words to his son Solomon, who was about to be king… It’s an incredible verse – so rich!
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 1 Chron 28:9
AGAIN – do you see the promise & conditions? THE NEXT – passage is in Ezekiel 18;
"But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die.” Ezk 18:24
NOW – that is pretty clear, isn’t it? AND guess who else talked about the conditional nature of salvation…Jesus…. In Matthew 10 he said;
“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Mt 10:22
In Revelation Jesus said the following;
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Rev 2:7
“…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death Rev 2:9,10
“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Rev 3:5
QUESTION - what does Jesus say will happen to the person who does NOT remain faithful? He will not receive the crown of life, or eat from the tree of life, the second death will hurt him and his name will be blotted out of the book of life…
LISTEN – the words of Jesus here should settle the issue once and for all - of whether or not salvation can be lost… UNDERSTAND – the Scriptures clearly teach that salvation can be lost… Once saved always saved is just not true,,,
As I sat at my desk, this week trying to really get a hold of this VERY CRUCIAL subject matter, as I looked at all the Scripture that speak on it… I tried to come up with some way to tie it all together and make it clearer…
The questions, I began asking myself were… IF – we can loose our salvation – how can we loose it or many?
WELL – as I looked at Scripture I came up with three way a saved person can loose his salvation… AND IF – you don’t have your bibles open YET – now is the time…
The first way of loosing your salvation that I want to talk about is;
The Rejection And Denial Of Christ…
OKAY - turn to the 11th chapter of the book of Romans, beginning at verse 17. AND – while you are turning let me kind of set the passage up for us.
Paul wrote the book of Romans in order to combat a growing problem in the church. YOU SEE in the church at Rome there was major disunity among the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians… BASICALLY - the Jewish Christians in Rome thought they were better because they had always been God’s people. The Gentile Christians thought they were better because they were not the ones who killed their own Messiah.
AND – like I said, these 2 attitudes caused some major divisions.
NOW – in the verses that we are about to read Paul is rebuking the Gentile Christians because they were feeling a little prideful about God turning away from the Jews and embracing them…
AND -as I read you need to keep in mind that the root (is being in a covenant relationship with God), the branches that were broken off are the unbelieving Jews and the branches that were grafted in are the gentiles who accepted Christ
If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! Romans 11:17-24
QUESTION – why were the ‘natural’ branches broken off – because of what? unbelief
AND - why – were the ‘unnatural’ branches grafted in? because of faith…
OKAY ANOTHER QUESTION – was their being grafted into a covenant relationship with God conditional? YES – Paul says that if they did not remain faithful they too would be cut off…
The NEXT – section of Scripture is in Hebrews chapter 6; NOW – you need to know the basic background of the book of Hebrews – [it was written because Christians were rejecting the Gospel and salvation through Christ – and were going back to the law of Moses].
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age…
QUESTION – does this seem like Paul is talking about someone who is saved? Sure does to me… [understand one of the arguments of people who believe in OSAS… is that if a person falls away they were never ‘really’ saved to begin with…]
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age…if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
OKAY – just two more passages, they’re short and they are both are found in 1 Timothy…
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Tim 4:1
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith… 1 Tim 6:20,21
OKAY – let’s bring this in… An individual can loose their salvation by rejecting Christ, by no longer believing in Christ or His message… I’ve seen people do this. I’ve seen them come right out and say after years of following Christ – ‘hey, I don’t that stuff anymore.’
AND – I’ve also seen Christians – reject Christ as they leave the true faith for a cult like JW or Mormonism or for another World religion or some New Age silliness…
Commenting on the Hebrew passage a guy named, Homer Austin Kent wrote;
“Now we can see the reason for the impossibility of repentance in the people of this illustration. They have already tried everything God has to offer, and have turned away from it. Hence there is nothing further that can be done for them. Such will never repent, for God has nothing further to present to them. There will be no additional gospel, no new messiah. To turn away from God’s plan of salvation is to reject the only valid plan there is.”
THE – a 2nd way that Scripture says a person can loose their salvation is through…
Habitual And Unrepentant Sin…
Jesus’ half brother James wrote…
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins…” James 5:19,20
And Peter writes in 2 peter 2:20-22;
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
(OKAY – let’s hit the pause button for a second here… Why would you be worse off? WELL – who is more likely to respond to the power and beauty of the Gospel – a prostitute hooked on drugs living on the streets, OR – a religious person trapped in sin and enjoying the sin way too much.. – woman at the well/Pharisees)
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." - 2 Peter 2:20-22
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God….” Hebrews 10:26,27
OKAY - A second way that a personal can lose their salvation is through habitual & unrepentant sin – and under this is also a form of denial… They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:16
NOW – a question, I often get asked is, where is that point where our sin becomes so habitual that we loose our salvation… (Most people who ask me, I think want a different answer then what I give them) YOU SEE – God does tell us when it happens (I think because we would take right to the edge… “okay I can go this far and still be okay…”)
BUT – listen a good thumb rule at least for me – that we are definitely in a danger of going too far is when our sin no longer bothers us… We just kind of accept it, ‘it’s just the way I am’ ‘boys will be boys’
[Indian proverb – when you do wrong you have a pointed star that turns in your heart – the first time it really hurts but if you keep doing it – turning that star – it begins to hollow out a space and it no longer hurts…]
I was doing some channel surfing one day and they were interviewing the actress from the movie ‘Unfaithful.’ I guess she was nominated for an Oscar or something… They showed a scene from the movie where she is riding the subway after she cheated on her husband for the first time… There was no dialogue in the scene – just her being devastated by the act… BUT – as the movie progressed (though I didn’t see it) it got easier and easier to be unfaithful..
THERE – is a 3rd way people can loose their salvation…by having a;
Fruitless/Dead Faith…
AGAIN – we’ll let the bible speak…
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:16-24
ACCORDING – to the word of God – our authority.. faith without deeds is; useless, dead and cannot save anyone…
AND – Jesus spoke the following words as he walked in the Judean night from the upper room to the garden;
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
[do you see the conditional promise here?]
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:1-6
QUESTION – can a person loose their salvation – according to the bible YES!
How can a person loose their salvation?
q By rejecting and denying Christ
q Through unrepentant & habitual sin
q By having a dead, fruitless faith
FRIENDS it is an insult to the God who created us and to the Son who saved us to say & believe that – it is okay for someone who is saved to a life worse then the lost – just because they are already saved..
UNDERSTAND – it is an unbiblical teaching to say that you once you are saved – it doesn’t matter if you sin (a lot) it doesn’t matter if you go to church or serve God, it doesn’t matter if you have any fruit at all… BECAUSE you are eternally secure… You are one of God’s children…
LISTEN – I’m here to tell anyone here today who thinks this way – that they’d best do some rethinking…
ALRIGHT – we are just about done… AND – perhaps you are wondering what is I am trying to accomplish today… What am I looking for as a response to this message…
LISTEN – despite how you may feel right now – my goal was not to make you feel insecure in your salvation.
BUT – at the same time I do not want you take your salvation and the grace of God – for granted to such a degree; that your life is a slap in the face to your Savior OR that you reach the point where you loose… (no one took it from you but you gave it away)
These last two verse kind of summarize the response I want this message to bring…
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again 2 Cor 5:15
“…Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” Phil 2:12-16
FRIENDS let’s no longer live for ourselves – let’s live for him!
AND – let’s continue to work out our salvation – continue to stretch it, train it make it stronger and better…
AND when we do our lives will shine in this dark crooked and depraved world…
