2how To Be Sure You Have Eternal Security
2 HOW TO BE SURE YOU HAVE ETERNAL SECURITY
John 10:27-29
Intro: Ill. The blessedness of this passage. It teaches a truth that many never grasp
and that truth is this: If you are a believer, you have eternal security with the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Ill. A child who did not know from day to day whether or not he was a member
of the family. If he was good one day, he was in, if he was bad, then he was out.
One day his father loved him, the next day, he didn’t. I tell you that child would be
an emotional and a psychological wreck. Fact is, regardless of your behavior, you
are always going to be a member of you family and there is nothing you, or they can
do about it! Why is that? Because you were born into the family and that can never
be changed! So it is with God’s family! You see, if you are in Jesus, you are a part
of the family and you can experience all the peace and security that He wants all of
His children to enjoy.
(Ill. Golden Gate Bridge – 23 workers fell to their deaths in the San Francisco
Bay. After that, the city erected huge nets beneath the bridge. After they were in
place, only a handful fell, and they were safe, and the work was completed in record
time and with record safety. Why? The workers could concentrate on their jobs and
not have to worry about dying!) To be a productive Christian you need to know that
your future is absolutely secure. If you are to do a great work for Jesus, then you
need to be able to focus on the task at hand, instead of always worrying about your
future. This type of fear and doubt cripples us and prevents us from reaching our
fullest potential as believers. It also prevents some from bring saved. They fear that
they do have the ability to live the Christian life. Fact is, they don’t, but neither do
they understand that it is Christ living in the believer that makes Christianity
possible!
By God’s help this morning, I want to show you how you can know for sure
that you have eternal security. Next to salvation, the greatest blessing in life is
knowing that you are eternally saved.
Before we discuss why the believer is eternally secure, we all need to be on the
same page. We need to define our terms. Just who is a believer? A believer is one
who has received Jesus into his heart, as Savior, by faith. A believer is trusting Jesus
Christ, totally, for salvation. This person is born again, John 3:3, and has been made
a partaker of the Divine nature, 2 Pet. 1:4. This person can never be lost again!
But, what about those who appeared to be saved, but now have no interest in
spiritual things? I would answer that they have never truly been saved! They used
to attend church, they may have been baptized, they may have made a public
profession of faith, they may have looked Christian, but now they are out in the
world. Jesus spoke of just this type – Matt. 7:22-23. We have all seen it happen, and
I would like to say that they have probably never been saved. If they left the faith
and stayed away, then they were never saved – 1 John 2:19. They didn’t lose their
salvation, they simply never had it to begin with. (Ill. Judas) The reason they fell
away and stayed away is because they were never saved – Ill. Chastisement – Heb.
12:6-11.
For those who are truly trusting Jesus this morning, allow me to show you
several reasons why you are eternally saved.
I. Rom. 8:38-39 GOD’S PROMISE (Ill. The context)
(Ill. His promises are guarantees – Rom. 4:21) If you believe the Bible, then you
can believe in eternal security!
II. Phil. 1:6 GOD’S PERSEVERANCE Not mine, HIS!
(Ill. The context. Who began the work? GOD! Who will complete the work?
GOD! He brought us under conviction and then He helped us receive Jesus. He is
the Convictor, He is the Convertor and He is the Completor! He always finishes
what He starts – Eccl .3:14. If any believe could ever be lost again, it would mean
that God would be defeated in His eternal purpose. That is an impossibility! He will
finish what He has begun in you!
III. Rom. 8:29-30 GOD’S PREDESTINATION
(Ill. The Context. Those who receive Christ are predestined to go to Heaven and
to be just like Jesus. He saw it, He planned it, He predestined it and He brought it to
pass. It is impossible to be saved and then be lost again. Because it destroys the
predestined plan of Almighty God. Ill. He sees us as already being in Heaven. If
man or Satan could change that, it would mean that God were neither Omniscient or
Omnipotent. He would cease to exist! Think about it! That which is settled in
eternity can never be undone in time!
IV. Heb. 10:14 OUR PERFECTION
(He made us perfect by His sacrifice. Not perfect for a time, but perfect forever!
He did not make a down payment on our sanctification, He paid the debt in full and
purchased it forever by His precious blood. As a Christian, I did not get a fresh start,
I got a new life. Not a new beginning, a new nature!
We are not perfect in the flesh! Only in the soul! If I step out of line, I will be
chastened, but I will still be viewed as perfect by the Father. Ill. Rom. 4:5-8 – We
are not saved by good works and we cannot lose it by bad ones. We are saved
through the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been declared
perfect- 1 Cor. 6:9-11.
V. 2 Cor. 5:17 OUR POSITION (In Christ)
(When a person receives Christ, he becomes a new creation, they literally become
a part of Christ – 1 Cor. 12:13. The only way that a believer can lose his relationship
with the Father is for the Son to do so first. That is a total impossibility! (Ill. Noah
and his family – They were secure because of their position! (In the Ark) Ill. Noah
probably fell many times in the Ark, but he never fell out! He was in the place of
safety. We, as believers, enjoy a greater measure of safety than Noah!
VI. John 5:24 OUR POSSESSION
(Ill. We were given eternal life when we were saved. Not “ten year life”, not
“until I sin life”. We possess it right now, not at death! It is the present, eternal
possession of every child of God!
VII. John 17:15 CHRIST’S PRAYER
(He never prayed a prayer that wasn’t answered. He always prayed in the Father’s
will and the Father always answered in the affirmative. He prayed specifically for us
in verses 20 and 24. In verse 24, He expresses a desire that will be brought to pass.
We will be with Him in Heaven some day. He prayed for your keeping and for your
home going. Therefore, you can rest assured and walk secured in the knowledge that
you are saved by the grace of God and secure in the love of Christ. (Ill. By the way,
He is still praying for you now – Heb. 7:25!)
VIII. 1 Pet. 1:3-5 GOD’S POWER
(God’s power is greater than any other and it is that power that keeps us saved! If
Satan could get one believer out of the hand of God, he would have them all! But
praise God, he cannot do that, Ill. John 10:28b-29b. Ill. John 10:28- The word
“Never” is there four times in the Greek.
Oume – Not at all, by no means, in no case, never
Eis – Time, place, purpose
Ho – Male of female
Aion – Perpetually or eternally.
A literal rendering of that verse is this, “And I give unto the eternal life and they
shall not at all, by any means, in any case, in any place, at any time, for any purpose,
whether they be male or female, perpetually or eternally ever perish!”
The word perish is interesting also. It literally means that they can “never destroy
themselves.” The Good Shepherd has made it His mission that we all arrive home
safely!
Conc: Are you a believer? If so rejoice, because you are eternally secure in Christ!
Stop allowing the devil to kick you around. You are a child of God and you are
going to Heaven, you have a right to feel good about what the Lord has done for you.
If you are lost, please come to Him and be saved. Do not let your fears or you
sins take you to Hell.