Salvation is Sure

[0:00] Our subject tonight is salvation.

[0:16] Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.

[0:32] But more especially the security of it. Security of salvation.

[0:44] Salvation. Now, just to start things off tonight, I used to believe that you could lose your salvation. I used to firmly believe you could lose it. I don't believe that way now.

[0:56] And I'd like to present to you why I've changed my mind on that. And some biblical reasons why we can have a certainty, an assurance of our salvation. I think every Christian knows that there is an assurance to our salvation.

[1:10] For some, they don't see that the security is eternal. That's what I'd like to talk about tonight. I know this can be a bit of a controversial subject because there's different schools of thought.

[1:20] There's those who believe you can lose it. Those who believe it's eternally secure. As I say, I used to think you could lose it. In fact, I firmly and vehemently used to attack those who said you could lose it.

[1:33] But I certainly don't see it that way now. So, if you bear with me, as we go through this together, I'd like to give some scriptural reasons why we can know our salvation is sure.

[1:46] So, our subject is salvation and more essentially the security of it. To understand eternal security, the doctrine of eternal security, we need to actually understand salvation.

[1:59] Because it all hinges on that. The point really is to understand what is biblical salvation. What is it? The question is asked by some, can I lose my salvation?

[2:12] Can I know eternal security? To understand the doctrine of eternal security, we need to fully understand, firstly understand what salvation is.

[2:24] So, the real question, number one, really, for us to settle is this, who saved you? If God saved you, you cannot lose it because it depends upon God.

[2:36] It depends upon God because really, salvation is, when you really boil it down, it is God's work. Salvation is the work of God.

[2:49] It's God's work. God's work. If you saved yourself, you could say you could lose it because it depends on you.

[3:03] I suppose you could put it, can I lose my salvation? If my salvation is dependent upon me, then I can lose it. It's actually not really a salvation there if it's dependent upon me.

[3:16] It's your eternal salvation. Your salvation is eternally secure because it's God's salvation. It's God's salvation. Salvation is God's work.

[3:28] If you think that salvation is some cooperative venture between yourself and God, where you do your part, yourself, and he does his part, then really you're in big trouble.

[3:39] Because I know for myself, if it depended upon me, then I could mess it up real bad. But if God started it, if it's God's work, he will finish it.

[3:54] So notice this first point. Salvation is God's work, number one. Of course, salvation, to be real salvation, must be God's salvation. God's salvation, not of ourselves.

[4:06] And we see one of the things that Jonah uttered. You know, in this time, in this time frame, he'd just come out of the belly of the, well, he was still in the fish, the belly of the fish, right?

[4:18] He was still there. This is Jonah chapter 2, verse 9. Jonah chapter 2, verse 9. Jonah was in the belly of the fish. And he uttered these words in Jonah 2, verse 9.

[4:30] Salvation is of the Lord. And then, bang, he was vomited out onto dry land. And he was back on the mission field. Jonah recognized salvation is of the Lord.

[4:43] The fish spat him out and he was back in service, back in God's work. Some seem to think salvation, maybe it's 99% God's work and maybe just 1% dependent upon what I do.

[4:57] No. Salvation is God's work. It's entirely his doing. It's the finished work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is a divine work of God. Thank God for that. If it was not, then we'd be in trouble.

[5:09] But salvation is a divine work of God. It's God's work. He promised it. So, friends, tonight, this is really a first building block of what salvation is. He promised it and he will deliver it.

[5:22] Our eternal security is based upon God's love for those he has redeemed. Thank God God does it. Our eternal security is purchased by Christ.

[5:33] It's promised by the Father and it's sealed by the Holy Spirit. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God's promised it. The Father's promised it. Christ has purchased it.

[5:43] And the Holy Spirit has sealed you. The Bible says that what God starts, he finishes. Philippians 1 verse 6. Philippians 1 verse 6. It says, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

[6:02] Until the day of Jesus Christ. He's begun it in you and he'll perform it until the day of Christ. That's when Christ comes and takes you. So, God starts the good work of salvation in us.

[6:17] He will complete it. He'll see it through right to the very end, right to the coming of Christ when he'll take you unto himself. He will complete it. And Paul says here, Philippians 1 verse 6, being confident, it's a very strong phrase here.

[6:32] He's saying, I'm fully persuaded. He's saying, I'm absolutely certain of this. This is absolute. This is assuredly true. Being confident. I'm confident that God will, who started it, will finish it in you.

[6:46] And he's saying that he has no doubt, whatever about the outcome, that we can know. An assurance. He's saying that he has no doubt. Salvation is God's work from the start to the finish.

[6:59] It's not plus works. It's not plus 1%, 0.5%, nothing of you. He is the initiator. He is the, how does it say?

[7:11] He's the starter of it and he's the finisher of it. I'm trying to get that reference in. He's the author and he's the finisher of it. Yeah, that's it. So, he's the author of it.

[7:22] He wrote the book. He's the saviour. He's the one who keeps us. 1 Peter 1, verse 5, it says, 1 Peter 1, verse 5, of those who are saved, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[7:38] Now, that's a blessed comfort, isn't it, that we are kept by, must have written that one down, 1 Peter 1, verse 5, we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[7:58] So, the one who keeps you is God, the power of God. Now, there's no greater power than that power, is there? There's no greater power than the power of God. The power of God will keep you unto salvation.

[8:13] So, number one, salvation. Salvation is God's work. Secondly, salvation is eternal life. What our Lord tells us that he gives to us, isn't it?

[8:25] Eternal life. Everlasting life. Forever life. Eternal life. Salvation is eternal life and it begins the moment you believe.

[8:36] That moment, bang. I'm saved for time and for eternity. Now, I'll talk further about why we don't do despite to the grace of God and just think, okay, I'm just on the glory train and I'm just going to coast.

[8:50] No, we're not pushing that by any means. And I'll talk further on that point. We don't take this lightly because we're saved. It doesn't mean we take it lightly and we're careless about our salvation.

[9:01] But we'll talk more about that later. But it's eternal life. John 10, verse 27. The Lord uses the analogy. He is the good shepherd. The good shepherd. And he says, verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.

[9:15] And I give unto them eternal life. And they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. He goes on to say, no one's going to pluck them out of the father's hand.

[9:27] No one and nothing is stronger than your God. No one and nothing is stronger than Christ and is keeping and holding power. The Lord Jesus says here, my sheep.

[9:39] He says, you're mine. He says, you're my possession. You belong to me. You're stamped with my ownership. My authority is over you. And he says, I give unto my sheep eternal life.

[9:53] Eternal. And they shall never, never, ever, never perish. The believer, the Lord Jesus says, has eternal life.

[10:03] Present tense, possession. Eternal life. John 3, 36. The believer has eternal life. Everlasting means everlasting.

[10:14] In the Greek, it means everlasting. It means everlasting. There's no getting around what it means. It is forever. It is eternal.

[10:24] And our Lord says that those who are my sheep will never perish. The believer has passed over, it says, John 5, 24. Passed over from death unto life.

[10:35] It's like this chasm. And God has taken you from the death side. And he's passed you over to the life side. He says, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

[10:53] You've got a new location. You've had a change of address. You're no longer in death. The camp that is death. You're in the camp that is life. He's taken you. He's moved you across to the life side.

[11:05] You are on the life side. Salvation is eternal life. And 1 John 5, 11, it says this. It says in 1 John 5, 11, and this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life.

[11:17] And this life is in his son. He hath given to us eternal life. You have it. You have eternal life. And some people have this kind of sense of doubt.

[11:30] Well, I'll know I've got eternal life when I get there. No, you can have it now in the 21st century on the, what's the date today? The 28th of June. You can know eternal life here and now, present sense, right now, right here, right in your heart, in your state with God.

[11:48] You can know I have it now. I have present sense, eternal life. 1 John 5, 11, God hath given to us eternal life. So eternal life begins the moment, that moment you believe.

[12:00] You have it. John 3, 36, it says, he that believeth on the Son hath, hath, you have it, everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

[12:14] So you're either one who believes in the name of the Son of God. You're one who believes in the Son and you have eternal life. Or you're in the other camp that you believe not and you're under the wrath of God.

[12:25] It's one or the other. You can't be in between. You either have eternal life or you do not. It says a believer, it says believer that you have it. If it is truly eternal, that's another question, then how can you lose it?

[12:39] If it is eternal in duration, how can it be lost? If then it's not really eternal, it's temporary. It's temporary. Thankfully, salvation is God's work and God's work is that he gives eternal life.

[12:54] John 6.47 it says this, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Now John 6.47 is another characteristic verse that sadly some modern day Bibles miss out the critical point, which is he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

[13:13] You can believe all kinds of things. Jesus says he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. That's the point. And if you are one who believes on me, he says, you have, you have it, you have everlasting life, present tense.

[13:28] Notice that. What does it say? Everlasting life, present tense. This brings us to the third point. Notice then also how that salvation is now.

[13:39] Salvation is now. It is right here and right now. Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. Salvation is now. Salvation is now.

[13:49] 1 John 5.13 it says this, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

[14:03] Friends, this is a really important point that as a Christian you have salvation present tense. This is a wonderful grace that God has given that we can know here and now, right now, in our shoe leather, in our physical body, before heaven, we can know that we are headed to heaven.

[14:21] You know, we've got our boarding pass. We're already going there. We know that he's already made a reservation for us. We have heaven. We have eternal life, present tense.

[14:31] It's not that we die and then we get it. We have it now. We have salvation now. We see that, for example, in Ephesians 2, 8 through 9. Ephesians 2, 8 through 9, it says this, Of course, you know this one, for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves.

[14:48] It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. You know, this is the big difference between Christianity and every other kind of religion. This is why Bible salvation is different from any other so-called kind of salvation that's out there because all the others are based on works, on working for it, on deserving it, on meriting it, on having some kind of something that you did to deserve it.

[15:16] No, that's wrong. It's not of works. Not of works. Not of works. Not of works. Lest any man should boast. We've got nothing to boast about our salvation, that there's any credit we can claim for it.

[15:30] None. Nothing at all. Not a skerrick. Zilch. Nada. Zero. No. None of my works can merit heaven for me. Only the finished work.

[15:40] Only his finished work. Get a hold of that brother, sister here tonight. And that is life-changing, that reality, that assurance. And our redemption, it's a once-for-all transaction.

[15:52] That is made. For by grace ye are saved. S-A-V-E-D. If you're saved and you know it, shout amen. Amen.

[16:03] You are saved. It says, by grace ye are saved through faith. And John 1, 12, 13, it says, put that here somewhere.

[16:15] I'll do this a bit rushed a bit here. John 1, 12 through 13, it says, But as many as received him, to them gave me the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

[16:32] John 1, 12 says there's some people on this planet who are born of God. You can be born of God. You can be born again and know it.

[16:44] Here, now, present sense. Entrance into heaven is based on one condition alone. In faith alone, in Christ alone. As grace, we can know that our salvation is secure.

[16:58] Because the Lord Jesus has died for your sins and mine. And you've trusted him. And he's died for how many of your sins? All.

[17:09] All of our sins. The ones in our past, the ones in our present, the ones yet future. Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying, okay, all my future sins are covered too, so I can just go and live like the devil.

[17:21] No, that's not what he wants. We're not preaching that here tonight. But there is that theological truth that all of our sins are under the blood. All of our sins are under the blood.

[17:32] All of our sin was future at the cross. When he bled and died, when he shed his blood, all of our sins were yet future. And the Lord Jesus paid for how much of your sin?

[17:43] All of it. All the payment was made right back then, 2,000 years ago. So if God saved you then, your salvation rests upon him. On his saving work, the finished work of the cross.

[17:55] It's a theological concept that the work of the cross is the finished work. He said, it is finished. Everything has been done to save. Everything was done then for you.

[18:10] I know Julie likes to kind of say, we were saved 2,000 years ago. We just kind of just received it. He's already in the sense that he has done everything to save us back then. At that rugged hill on that bruising cross in his mangled form, in his shredded back, everything was done for your sin there, for mine.

[18:34] Thank God. John 6, 37, that we have his promise. He says this, John 6, 37. It says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

[18:50] If you come by the way of the cross, if you come on bended knee, if you come to the Christ and say, Jesus, save me, he says, I will never cast you away. I will in no wise cast out.

[19:03] Thank God there's nothing we did to earn eternal life. It was all of grace. And there's nothing we can do to keep or to lose eternal life. It is all of grace.

[19:14] And the moment we begin to talk about doing something to lose or gain our salvation, it's stepping into that realm of works. You're just like the cults, if that's what you think.

[19:25] If your salvation is about you doing something or stopping doing something or not doing something, by gaining your salvation by that, you're in that, you've jumped into that sphere called works.

[19:38] And the Bible says we are not saved by works, nor are we kept by our works. Now that's not to say we oughtn't to work. I'm not saying that at all. Just want to make that clear that what your salvation is, is not of works.

[19:51] Not of works, lest any man should boast. We can search in the Bible too in vain to find any reference to people getting saved twice. There's no reference to that.

[20:03] You're either saved once or you're saved not at all. You're only saved once. There's no getting saved two times. Some people think that they can get saved multiple times.

[20:14] Oh, yes, I was born again. Oh, I've been born again about four times, whatever it is. Oh, yeah, I've been to the altar call. Or, you know, some churches make people kind of do this.

[20:24] And we're not against altar calls, but there's that sense where they go and do the routine and then they do the routine. It's almost like they go to confession, then they go and sin. They go back and do confession again.

[20:35] It's kind of a Roman Catholic idea in a way, isn't it? That you can somehow lose it and regain it, lose it and regain it. And it's about works. You're stepping into works. You're saying, I've lost it by something I did or didn't do, or I've gone slack or backslid and that can happen.

[20:52] But you don't get re-saved. You don't get re-saved. You're saved once. Once and for all, he did the cross. Once and for all, you're saved or you're not saved. You know, there was a time as a young Christian, I know I was 15 or so, when I trusted the Lord at an evangelistic time.

[21:11] And then some, I think it was seven, eight, nine months later, there was another crusade and I made another profession. But that was really more a recommitment on my part. It was a recommitment. That's good to make a recommitment.

[21:23] Amen? It's good to make a rededication. I wasn't saved again, but I was refreshing my commitment that I had made. I was renewing my commitment.

[21:34] I wasn't getting saved again. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's time. And that's a good thing to do. Reconsecrate yourself to Christ. You might say, well, I feel like I'm a bit of a backslidden Christian.

[21:46] I have kind of wandered and wavered. Recommit your life to Christ. You're not getting saved again, but you're refreshing your commitment. You're reconsecrating yourself to Christ. That's a good thing to do.

[21:57] But we can vainly search for anybody getting saved again. You're saved once or not saved. Salvation happens one time for all time. As Nicodemus talked with our Lord, and he talked about, as the Lord told him of being born again, he says to Nicodemus, you must be born again.

[22:17] As we know the familiar passage, John 3, verse 3, verse 5. And Nicodemus was kind of a little thrown by this, and he was saying, well, how can we go back into our mother's womb?

[22:28] And, you know, how can we go back into our mother's womb and be born again, you know, as in physically born again? And, of course, our Lord was saying, no, that's not what he was saying.

[22:40] That was an impossible idea, a ridiculous, laughable idea. Likewise, we cannot be born again spiritually over and over. We're born one time. Born again one time.

[22:51] Happens one time when the Lord gives us eternal life, and it is his forever gift. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the believer.

[23:02] It says in Ephesians 1, verse 13. There it is, Ephesians 1, 13. Paul says, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.

[23:19] Not only does Christ come and dwell inside the believer, the Holy Spirit seals you. And it's sealed unto the day of redemption, it says in Ephesians 4, 30. So we've seen some of these things, and I think I've gone and skipped a page or two right here.

[23:33] So I'm just going to have to backtrack a little. I've got my, I'm very sorry about this. I'm usually a bit more organized. Just as well, I've got page numbers here. But yeah, one thing I, I'm not sure that I've covered this fully.

[23:49] Bear with me one moment. I'll just sort myself out here. I'll tell you about the salvation being now. I missed a page or two there. That we have salvation. We are born again. We have that new standing.

[24:00] And we're declared children of God by faith. And it's interesting. All these words here in red are present tense about the believer. It's saying present tense.

[24:11] This is you. You who profess Christ. You who know him. It says you are what? Forgiven. Justified. Reconciled. Risen with Christ.

[24:22] You're a child of God. You're sanctified. You're a new creation. You're accepted. You're saved. You're light in the Lord. You're made fit for heaven. You're complete in him.

[24:34] You're citizens of heaven. You're born again. You've passed from death unto life. These are all spoken of the believer present tense. As in now. This is the present condition of every true believer.

[24:48] Perfected forever. Salvation is now. Of course there is that sense and I'm not disputing that salvation has a threefold aspect. In the sense that salvation has the aspect of past, present and future.

[25:03] What does the word say? It says the believer has been saved from the eternal consequences of sin. You have been saved. You are saved. Through grace.

[25:14] By faith. You are saved. You have been saved. You are being saved in the sense you're being saved from the power of sin in this earthly existence.

[25:26] We still fight with sin. I know I do. We present tense that we are being saved in the sense that sanctifying work. That working of God's spirit. Helping me to be a stronger Christian.

[25:37] Helping me to be a victorious Christian. Helping me to be an overcoming Christian. That I am being saved from the power of sin. And then ultimately when we get to our future heavenly home.

[25:48] We will have been saved from the presence of sin. Okay. We are saved from the eternal consequences of sin. We've passed from death unto life.

[25:59] We are being saved from the power of sin. As we have that fighting going on. That wrestling match. That struggle against sin in the present day. And then we will have been saved from the very presence of sin.

[26:12] When we have our new glorified body. And we see him as he is. We know as we are known. So notice what John says in 1 John 3 verse 2. 1 John 3 verse 2.

[26:23] Talking about the now aspect of salvation. Beloved now are we the sons of God. 1 John 3 verse 2. Now. Beloved now are we the sons of God.

[26:34] It doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. Friends there's a wonderful comfort there.

[26:46] That now are we the sons of God. And we can know that. You can say. You don't have to have this idea. Well. I think I'm a Christian. I know.

[26:57] I'm believing really hard that I am a Christian. I hope I'm a Christian. I'm trying, trying, trying really, really hard. Really, really hard to be a Christian. Now you can actually know.

[27:08] Behold. Beloved. But now are we the sons of God. You can know today. I am a child of God. My name is written in heaven. I know that I'm saved.

[27:19] I know that I have an eternal reservation made. You can know that you are a new creation. A new creature in Christ. Here and now. In the present tense. And you can live with that assurance.

[27:30] Not living in doubt. As if your salvation is flaky. That you're going to lose it one minute. And get it back the next. Or am I going to be saved tomorrow if I go and do something or not do something.

[27:41] You can actually. Behold. Beloved. Now are we the sons of God. You can know now. Assuredly now. That you are the child of God. So friends. Salvation is God's work.

[27:51] Salvation is eternal life. Salvation is now. And salvation. I put to you. Is secure. It is secure. Romans 8.38-39. It says we read that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

[28:06] Romans 8.38-39. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[28:23] Nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing in all creation. Nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jeremiah 31.3.

[28:33] The Lord says. Jeremiah 31.3. Did I write that one down? There it is. Jeremiah 31.3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

[28:49] That's how great God's love is for you. Isn't it? Everlasting. Can't we get our head around that? He's not loved us as if you know it's kind of a fickle whether he felt like it or not or whether he deserved it or not.

[29:01] He says I've loved you with an everlasting everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. What a joy it is brother, sister here tonight that you can know for assurance.

[29:12] You can know assuredly about your salvation. That your salvation it does not depend upon some legalistic kind of faith. Some kind of performance of your own doings. It's not man centred.

[29:25] It's God centred. It's God's work. It's God centred. It makes that God has made heaven not dependent on what we do. It is not a works based salvation.

[29:38] That is really no salvation at all. If it's works based it's not a salvation at all. So friends I trust you've had some kind of exposure here to these truths.

[29:50] It's God's work. It's eternal in dimension. It's now in the reception of it and it's secure in its condition. It's held secure for you.

[30:01] So what's the big deal? What's the big problem then? Okay. There's numbers of verses that people use to dispute what we've talked about here tonight.

[30:18] Why the confusion? What do some Christians think can be lost? And many take passages that are addressed to false professors.

[30:30] Now we know there's some people who claim to be religious. And we know there's people who are false converts. They claim to be saved. There's people who are religious but not born again.

[30:42] There's people who go to church morning, night and noon and midweek and every night. And they know the Bible. They compared it off. But they are yet to be saved.

[30:54] The Bible talks about people who are religious. But they are not born again. And these ones are not saved. They face God's wrath. The Bible warns against having such a faith as that.

[31:05] It's a vain faith. It's a faith that is in vain. Because it's not saving faith. Then there's other verses that warn true believers to take their faith seriously.

[31:15] Because we're saved. Because of the lover of our soul who's loved us with an everlasting love. How dare we disappoint him? How dare we fail to live as God helping us to live to his pleasure.

[31:31] To bless him. To be a Christian who has a heart and zeal and love in return for him. For the great saving that he has given to us. Because believers are warned in the Bible to take seriously their faith.

[31:46] To not take it lightly. To heed his call to live right. To live righteous. We are called to that. To holy living. And there are consequences for the believer who is in sin.

[31:59] The Bible warns such about losing eternal rewards. Not eternal life. Losing eternal rewards. An unfaithful believer can face even physical judgment and death.

[32:12] As we see there's times when there's great judgment wrought on those that were foolish or careless with the things of God. But none of these verses that warn us about, that rebuke the false professors and tell them that they're not saved.

[32:28] There's these rebukes against believers for being careless. But none of these references take away from the fact that the child of God is eternally safe.

[32:40] Has eternal life and it is secure in Christ. The Bible never warns against losing your salvation because that cannot happen. We need to see the distinction.

[32:50] This is a big problem. It's really the distinction between a couple of things. If I could just write this. It's about two things. Sonship and discipleship.

[33:04] Sometimes people confuse the two things. They get it mixed up. Our relationship as a son, as a child of God, never changes.

[33:21] I am my father's son even when I do bad stuff. And he wants to disown me but he can't because I've got his surname.

[33:35] And I don't think I look like him but there's that likeness to my father. Yeah, I could get plastic surgery.

[33:47] There's that sense where you are your father and mother's child. That cannot change. Likewise eternally. Once you are born again, your eternal heavenly father is your father.

[33:59] You have relationship. You have sonship. It cannot change. But our fellowship can change. It's just not the discipleship. Our discipleship can sometimes wax and wane our walk with God.

[34:11] You know, sometimes we walk closely with God. Sometimes we do not walk closely with God. But sometimes our walk with God is lacking. Our discipleship, we can be lax in our discipleship but it doesn't take away our sonship.

[34:29] Our standing as the son of God does not change according to our state as in our fellowship. Our fellowship with God, we can draw near to God.

[34:40] We can draw away from God. We see, you know, backsliding examples of the prodigal son, for example. We can see people can get lax and fail and falter and fall but they are still a son of God, a child of God.

[34:57] So what then about the disobedient Christian? Is this preacher telling you, okay, because your salvation is eternally secure, you can just live a careless, carefree kind of life and not really be a serious Christian because you've got it in the bank, you're going to heaven.

[35:13] Is eternal security an excuse for carnality and carelessness? No. It's all the more reason why we should value what we have.

[35:24] This precious gift, God's salvation, this is beyond compare. If a believer cannot lose his salvation, what happens then when he sins?

[35:35] Now some would think, okay, if it's a big enough sin, we lose it. Well, where's the line? You know, where's that line when a sin is bigger than another sin or big enough for me to lose my salvation?

[35:48] The Bible says if you offend in one point, you're guilty of all. You just can't measure up. If you've got to be perfect, as some would teach sinless perfection, if you've got to be perfect and you do one little thing wrong or maybe it's a sin of omission, you don't actually do something you ought to have done, then it's sin and you lose out.

[36:06] If your salvation is dependent on you being perfectly sinless, then you will fail. I won't take questions, Jimmy. We'll talk after, all right?

[36:17] What a shame it would be to grieve the Holy Spirit, to disappoint our precious Lord. What a shame that would be, wouldn't it? If he loves us with an everlasting love, oughtn't we to love him with such a love that appreciates his gift?

[36:32] That we don't want to disappoint our precious Lord. We want to be a strong Christian, God helping us to be. And the Bible just gave us warnings. Friends here tonight, you know, there's people that might be tuning in here that might be in a backslidden state.

[36:46] The serious consequences of backsliding. The sinning Christian is out of fellowship with the Lord and his people. That's serious. That's 1 John 1, 3 through 7.

[36:58] If you are a sinning Christian, a backsliding Christian, you are out of fellowship with the Lord and his people. That's serious. That's serious stuff.

[37:09] The Bible says in Hebrews 12 that the sinning Christian is chastened by the Father. You are his son. He's going to discipline you.

[37:20] You will be disciplined by the Father for your sin. Now we hear of Christians who get into sin and their lives are restless because they know they're not in the right place.

[37:36] They're not right with God. There is an uneasiness. There's a conviction. There's a conscience that is troubled and hurting because they know they're not in right fellowship with their God, their Father.

[37:49] And the Father will chasten us for that. There will be no rest until you get it right with God. Backslidden people here tonight. I don't think any of you are backslidden, but whoever it be, if you are in a backslidden state, you will face the chastening of the Lord.

[38:09] That's serious. We want to avoid that. And of course, another thing that affects the sinning Christian is that they will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ. That's serious.

[38:20] You know, as I mentioned this morning, I've been in court. I've been in court, thankfully, on the right side of the witness box. But there's that sense that court is something very serious and solemn.

[38:34] And it says that we all have an appointment before the judge that we'll all give account of ourselves. You will give account of yourself. I will give account of myself.

[38:46] And it says that every believer, of course, we're not going to appear before the white throne judgment, which is where the lost will go and the sentence will be the same. How? But at the judgment seat of Christ, there will be rewards for the believers.

[39:01] And there'll be a loss of rewards. There'll be a lack of rewards. There'll be gold, silver, precious stones. There'll be wood, hay, stubble. There'll be crowns. There'll be no crowns for some. There'll be some who will be ashamed before him at his coming.

[39:15] That's a grave and serious place to be. You don't want to be there. Christian, if you are a Christian, be a fair dinkum one. Be fair dinkum.

[39:27] I'm not saying just because you're eternally safe as far as your salvation goes, be a diligent Christian. Be a Christian of whom your Lord will say, oh, you've done well.

[39:39] Well done. Good and faithful servant. So, friends, again, just to recap what the sinning Christian faces, out of fellowship with the Lord. That's hard. That you're not in a good relationship with your Father, your Heavenly Father.

[39:53] That's a sorry place to be and with his people. That a sinning Christian will be chastened. You don't want to be there. It's hard. It's hard. When you're under that, essentially that judgment, that chastening of the Lord for your sin, you don't want to be there.

[40:09] You want to get out of that place of disobedience. And the sinning Christian will suffer loss, eternally loss, as the sense of rewards. There'll be something you'll miss out.

[40:21] You don't want to miss out. Now, this is the ultimate speech night, isn't it? As it were, the ultimate awards night. And, okay, they'll be clapping you, but you're not going to have anything much to...

[40:34] I'm kind of being a little... I'm trying to illustrate the point that some will get rewards and some won't get rewards. We want to be... Not that we're working for our salvation, but we are his workmanship.

[40:47] We created unto good works. It'd be good to have something to show that you've been a serious Christian. You've been a genuine Christian. You've been a diligent Christian. Not one suffering loss at the judgment seat of Christ.

[40:58] Friends, just to close this here tonight, I hope I've made some sense. Look, I know this is a big subject, and some would take a very contrary view to what I've told you here tonight.

[41:09] I believe I've been scriptural. There's scriptural reasons why we can have an assurance of our salvation, because our salvation... Friends, you've got to get this right, otherwise you don't have salvation, but it's entirely dependent upon God.

[41:23] It's dependent upon him. Not on any work you can do. Not on any prayer you can pray. Not on any baptism. Not on any religious ritual that you undertake. Or you can flagellate yourself and climb up the steps of the Vatican on broken glass.

[41:41] There's nothing... There's not a number of any Hail Marys or Our Fathers, you can say, or having some holy smoke wafted over you, or some tongue-speaking ritual in another setting.

[41:53] None of that can save you. It's got to be Christ alone, faith alone, in Christ alone. And if you're saved, you're saved, S-A-V-E-D, for time and for eternity. If you're saved and you know it, shout Amen.

[42:06] Amen! Our salvation is completely, completely and utterly dependent upon him. And I'm not making light of this, but it is important to get that distinction between our state as a child of God, a son of God, our discipleship.

[42:23] We shouldn't be lax in that. One should follow... That should follow the other. But our salvation is completely dependent on Christ's work, the finished work. Nothing to do with our own works.

[42:35] The minute it is, it's not salvation. You know, there's cults out there. Seventh-day Adventists. There's, yeah, Mormons, you name it. Christadelphians. Jehovah's Witnesses.

[42:47] They're all trusting in their works, what they do, do, do. No, trust in what was D-O-N-E, done. Trust in what was done, not what you do. This is not to take away from the solemn and serious call to a holy life.

[43:01] We want to be found faithful. And beloved, I urge you to that. Not as a way of keeping yourself saved. Your holy living and your good works are commended, but they do not save you.

[43:13] Because they cannot. They cannot save you. But keep yourselves in the love of God. It says, just to close, going to Jude 1, 20 through 25.

[43:25] Jude closes the book of Jude, the last one before Revelation. He says this, but ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

[43:44] And if some have compassion, making a difference. Think about souls. Think about those that are going to hell. He says, another saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.

[43:57] The good reason why we want to care about others, to reach others. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, he is able. Oh, phew.

[44:09] He is able. He is. Thank you, Lord. You are able. Now unto him that is able to keep you, keep you, guard you, keep you safe, keep you from falling and to present you.

[44:25] He's able to keep you. He's able to present you faultless before the presence of his glory. With exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

[44:41] Friends, there's a glorious truth here that you are S-A-V-E-D. Salvation. And this is not to kind of take this glibly, but you can know it now.

[44:56] Now. You can know it now. Yes, I know. I know I'm saved. These things are written. This is the record. This is written that you may know that you have eternal life.

[45:07] 1 John 5. Read that one. Friends, for the meantime, keep listening for the shout. And keep looking for the Savior. Because he's coming soon.

[45:20] Are you ready? Firstly, are you saved? Scripturally saved. So that you know, yes, my salvation isn't what I do or have done or can ever do. It's what he has done back then.

[45:33] And I am saved. Yes, I know it. And I'm not saying for you that might think, oh, maybe I've struck a nerve here tonight. And if you trusted him, if you have trusted him, that is the saving of you.

[45:46] That is your saving. You don't have to come and have me lay hands on you or as such. As some would make it a kind of ritual thing that, you know, you've got to have the pastor pray for you to get saved.

[45:58] You can be saved right here and now in your seat as you say, Jesus, I trust you. I trust you. And he will save you here now and forever. And that's the simple truth.

[46:09] It's like Peter talked to someone this morning. You can talk to God direct. You don't have to go through any human mediator. You can go straight through the mediator, the man, Christ Jesus. You can go straight to the Father and trust him now.

[46:21] I urge you to that. And believer, be encouraged. Your salvation isn't some, I'm going to have it one day and lose it the next. It's not some flim-flam thing. It's not dependent on you.

[46:33] It's dependent upon him. And your trust must be in that, in only that, in Christ alone, faith alone. In Christ alone. And be encouraged. And yet, don't take this lightly.

[46:44] To do despite unto his grace that you're going to live carelessly. No. Not at all am I saying that. You take this dead serious. The one who's loved you with an everlasting love.

[46:55] You want to be assuredly more appreciative of that. That this is going to be such that you cannot help but live as would please him, as would honour him, as would glorify him.

[47:11] With whatever life you've got left, with whatever breath you've got to breathe. Keep listening for the shout and keep looking for the saviour. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that you are a great God and King.

[47:23] You are the one who's able, able, able to keep us from falling. Lord, we thank you for the ability that you have, which is much more than our own. Our ability can wrought nothing of our saving.

[47:36] Lord, you have wrought it all at the cross. Lord, we thank you for everyone hearing this. Lord, stir our hearts to that faith that knows, yes, I'm born again.

[47:47] I am a child of the King. I am your son, your daughter here. Lord, for each one, bless them. That trust in you and for those still searching, that they will search with all their heart.

[47:59] As your word tells us, if you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. That they will have a searching, a searching that they won't stop searching until they find that great treasure of Christ in their heart.

[48:12] Christ in their soul. That Christ died on the cross for our sins. The living saviour and master. Lord, help us to live as such a people that we would be to your praise.

[48:22] That we would be such a people that we won't be ashamed before you at your coming. But we'll be ready. We'll be ready. Lord God, in Jesus' name. Amen.