Baptist Basics, Eternal Security & Perseverence

Turn in your Bibles to John 10:27-30

CT: Salvation starts with God, and it continues with God.

-Salvation did not start with you. God initiated it. We love Him because He first loved us.

AND we will see today … What God begins, He finishes.

John 10:27-30 Read

Pray

Hook

Do you have a favorite heirloom that you hold on to tightly?

-Grandfather’s pocket knife? His old breach shotgun. A classic old tool that he used in his work.

-Your grandmothers jewelry or maybe some old love letters or black and white pictures.

For some of us - these are treasured possessions. They connect us to special relationships in the past. They are not for sale. You would never give them up.

I found a list of The Most Hated heirlooms by millennials. Things that your millennial children or grand children do not want. Some of these are just going to break someone’s heart in here.

1. Your fine China (Susan and I have China and our kids aren’t going to want it.) , 2. Antique doll, 3. large pieces of furniture, 4. Ceramic figurines (precious moments), 5. Vintage wedding dress

They are going to let those things go.

My wife’s wedding dress was preserved, sealed & boxed. After we die the kids will probably send it to the dump.

-They won’t hang on to it. They will throw it out.

Here is what we will see today. Jesus will never let you go!

You see, One of the main questions we are answering today is this.

Can I lose my salvation?

Can what was once so precious be lost?

Is my eternity secure with God?

As a Christ Follower, is there something that I can do that will cause God to forsake me?

Is it possible for me to mess up bad enough spiritually for me to loose the forgiveness of God? For me to be cast away from God and to no longer be His child?

The answer to that question is a resounding and definite, “NO!”

Once you have been saved by grace through faith - there is NOTHING that can seperate you from God.

How can we be so confident in this?

The Scriptures clearly teach that a persons salvation is secure.

Why do we tend to think that God may withdraw salvation from us?

-You know your spiritual failure and shortcomings.

You get tired of your sin and especially those sins you keep coming back to.

You think, If I was God I would have left me a long time ago.

Let me tell you some great news.

God is nothing like you.

God has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Can I tell you something else that is wonderful?

Your lack of faithfulness to God does not effect His great faithfulness to you.

God’s forgiveness and love for His children is eternal!

Transition - Let’s look at some of these scriptures starting with our focal passage today.

John 10:27-30

vs. 27, READ

- We are called by God, “My sheep hear my voice”

-Those being changed by Christ are His sheep.

-What do the sheep do? They follow because they BELIEVE in the Shepherd.

What does Christ do with this belief? Look in verse 28.

By His grace, through faith, He gives them eternal life.

vs. 28, READ

-They don’t earn eternal life, Christ gives them eternal life.

-Listen to this Promise in verse 28.

Promise #1, they will never perish. They will never experience Hell, because their sin has been paid for in Christ.

-Promise #2, No on will snatch them out of Jesus hand.

Who snatches them out of Jesus hand?

No one: Not Satan, Not the World, Not struggles against sin, Not themselves … no one.

Look how verse 29 unpacks this promise even more.

vs. 29, READ

-This is a statement about the power of the Father

-The Father is greater than everyone and everything.

-No one is able to snatch God’s sheep out of His hand. Your sin cannot snatch your out of the Father’s hand.

The Christ Follower is Eternally Secure in the hands of Christ and the Father.

Illustration - When you really want to hold onto something tight you hold it with 2 hands.

-When you play tug-o-war you use 2 hands.

-When you hold an infant you use 2 hands.

In our passage today we see 2 hands, the hand of the Father and the hand of the Son (Jesus).

You are held with 2 hands.

One hand of power and one hand of tenderness.

Turn left in your Bibles to John 6:38

John 6:38-40, Read

vs. 39

-This is the Father’s will.

-That none of those given in salvation would be lost.

-That believers, who have been given to Jesus in salvation, will be raised up when Jesus returns for His people.

vs. 40

-Everyone who believes in the Son WILL Have eternal life.

-and Will Be raised to glorification with Jesus when He returns.

What do we see? That God promises that those who believe Will Have eternal life and be raised up to glorification in heaven.

If you are a Christ Follower, Your salvation is secure in God.

You say, Jonathan, you don’t know the horrible sin I have done. You don’t know how I have struggled with sin in my life. There is this one sin that continues to haunt me spiritually.

-My friend that you are struggling against sin.

That you have not just given yourself to it, but that you are convicted by it and that you fight against it…

This is an evidence of good spiritual fruit in your life.

The wrestling with. The conviction. The fighting against is part of your spiritual journey of becoming like Jesus.

God has promised to believers that He will raise you up on the last day and that He will save you.

This is why what our opinion about God and our feelings about God - do not define the truth about God.

-I may struggle with doubt. I may war against sin. Satan may confuse me about my salvation.

-The truth is that … Once your are saved and in the hands of God, you are secure.

In Islam - When you die, If Allah is in a compassionate mood and if you have done enough good to outweigh your bad, you may be granted salvation. If your good is not enough, or if Allah is not having a compassionate day - you will go to hell. Your salvation in Islam is not secure.

In Hinduism - Your good must outweigh your bad. If you have done well you will be reincarnated up to an elephant or cow, or down to a spider.

But with the God of the Bible it’s different.

Before you were even born he had already promised to hold on with 2 hands and never let you go.

Even knowing your future and that there would be times you would be a hot spiritual mess - he still loved you and still saved you.

-There is nothing more powerful than the great love of God.

-There is nothing that the blood of Jesus can’t cover forever.

-My question is this. Does He have you?

Transition - Not only does God have you, but God keeps you going (???)

Many of us have asked this question -

What’s up with that person who was once a follower of Christ, got away from Him, and never came back to Jesus?

When we look at that person and then to an older adult who has faithfully followed Jesus all their life, we see that there is a difference.

It’s a big difference.

The Baptist Belief Called Perseverance or Perseverance of the Saints speaks directly to this situation.

This problem of people claiming Jesus and falling away is a problem we have seen ever since the time of Christ, and we see it now, in our town. We have members of this church who struggle with this.

The teaching of Perseverance is this ...

Once God has you as His, He enables you to continue as a Christ Follower.

God is the one who strengthens you and uplifts your heart so that you will persevere until the end.

-Those who have been saved, will cling to Christ through the end of their life.

-Those who have been saved, will walk with Jesus all of their life.

We will briefly look at 3 scriptures and then focus on one scripture.

What I want you to listen for is the expectation that the saved will follow Jesus through all of their life.

Matthew 10:22 “22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Colossians 1:22-23 “22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

***Hebrews 3:14 “14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

The scripture is clear. Those who Christ has saved, will continue with Jesus. They will persevere.

Here is the beauty of salvation - When you are saved, Jesus works a miracle in your life that not only effects you after you die, but He continues to work a miracle of growth that radically effects your life now.

-If your life is not being transformed by Jesus, there is a serious problem with your relationship with God.

-You are either living in rebellion to Christ.

-You aren’t saved.

If you have been a Christ Follower for a long time, you know what it is like to stray from Jesus.

You know what it is like to be an idolator to self. Where you are the King and God of your life.

Illustration -

-I look back at times in my life where I was not walking with the Lord and wonder… Was I really saved then?

-There was not fruit of salvation in my life.

-After coming back to the Lord, I would look back and see His loving Divine hand discipling me and drawing me back to Him.

-He would be the one helping me persevere in Him.

There is a confidence that God gives us found in Phil 1:6.

Phil 1:6

“6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Let’s ask 2 questions:

Question 1 - Who started the spiritual work in you? God did.

We love Him because He first loved us.

Question 2, Who completes the work? God does.

This verse answers the question - How is spiritually persevering until the end of your life not working for your salvation?

Here is the answer - By God’s grace He enabled your salvation. He gave you the faith and power to trust Him for salvation.

The same faith and power God gifts your with to be saves He also gifts you with to persevere in your walk with Him.

He is the giver of saving faith and He is the giver of persevering faith.

God started it and He finishes it.

Closing

I’ll close with this illustration Illustration Marriage. At marriage you make a covenant.  A covenant of love and commitment.  How do you know if you really meant the vows?  At the end of your life you look back and see you were faithful. Your covenant of love and faithfulness is backed by action.  You look at your actoin and know meant it.

-Your faith is similar.  When you make a covenant of Faith in Christ it is evidenced when you look back on the end of your life. 

- The beauty is that your perseverance doesn’t rest on you willing your self the the finish line like an injured marathon runner who can barely walk to cross the finish. - willing himself across. - Your perseverance rests on God working His miracle spiritual work in you.  -Persevering in your faith is a fruit of God’s miracle work in your soul.

Like a marriage - Have you said yes to Jesus? Have you committed your life to Him?

-If not, now is your time. I would love to talk to you more about this.

Second question is this.

Like a marriage, are you persevering in faithfulness?

Are you being faithful to Jesus?

Let’s pray.