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[0:00] This morning I want to share the word with you this morning from John chapter 10. We want to begin reading at verse 22.

[0:11] If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.

[0:33] Jesus said to them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you.

[0:45] My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.

[0:56] My father who has given them to me is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. This passage of scripture that I just read, specifically verses 27, all the way down to verse 30, are some of the most blessed, assuring, comforting words from our Savior in the word of God.

[1:22] Christ promises to all of those that the father has given him that they will for sure be redeemed from this sinful world. He says he has given to them eternal life and they shall never perish.

[1:35] And he says no one can snatch them out of his or his father's hand. Now, a word that he says here, and my reading this morning will be different. I'm in the New King James Version, so your Bible may read a little different.

[1:48] But he uses the word able. He said no one is able to snatch them out of his father's hand. That word able is an interesting word because that word means to be strong, to be powerful, and capable.

[2:02] No one is strong enough, powerful enough, to snatch you out of your heavenly father's hand. God is stronger than one, and no one is capable or powerful enough to overcome God.

[2:15] Now, Jesus in these glorious passages, he's basically saying the same thing that the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8, verse 38 to 39. Paul says, For I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature or created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in our Lord Jesus Christ.

[2:44] All of us, if we're in this race, many times feel like you're defeated. We feel like we're prone to wonder. We feel like that we're going to leave the God that we love.

[2:55] And the reason why you feel like this a lot of times is because of these intense battles that we get into in this world. These battles that we get into with the works of the flesh, with the devil, and remaining sin, and all these things we have to fight in this wicked and crooked world.

[3:11] And that's because of these intense battles that we feel like that sometimes. I know a lot of people that are truly saved and love the Lord Jesus Christ, and a lot of times they are doubting their salvation because of the intensity of these battles and the intensity to try to stay true to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[3:30] But we are promised in this world that through much tribulation we will enter the kingdom of God. One translation says that it's through enduring many hardships that we will get into the kingdom of God.

[3:44] So the one thing that you have to understand this morning, if you want to understand what we're going to talk about today, is the fact that in the midst of everything we have to say today, which we edify into your soul, you're going to have to fight this fight until the day of your death or to the day the Lord Jesus returns.

[4:02] But the good news is today, and this is what I want you to keep in your arsenal, I want to talk about the biblical doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints. Because the good news is today is that God has promised you in his word that he will bring you to the end, and you will be victorious in the end of your life.

[4:22] Now a lot of people hate this doctrine when you say, save forever, because number one, they don't understand the doctrine. Number two, they think that it does away with human responsibility. And number three, they think that it gives you a license to sin.

[4:37] There's a lot of people that will get vicious with you and call you a heretic if you even mention the fact that God will keep his people from the very end. And one reason why they believe that is because they think you're saying what Paul comes against in Romans chapter one.

[4:51] Paul says, can we continue in sin that grace may abound? He said, God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer in sin? But if you continue to read Romans chapter six, Paul refused this whole notion that grace is a license to sin.

[5:08] Paul says in Romans six to he says, certainly not. How shall we that have dead to sin that are dead to sin live any longer in it? In other words, once you come to Christ and once you're a new creature in Christ, you're no longer dominated or controlled by sin.

[5:24] And anybody that says that you can live in sin and still think that God will preserve you in that sin and bring you into heaven is basically what they would call years ago a heretic.

[5:35] But the long story short is this, is when true salvation in Jesus Christ takes place in your life, your relationship to sin is completely over. In other words, before salvation, sin was your friend.

[5:48] After salvation, now sin is your enemy and it no longer has control over you. You know, you're no longer a slave to sin. You no longer are to serve sin because Jesus has set you free from sin and from his chains and his bondage and his dominion.

[6:06] Paul says in Romans six, 22. Now, having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of God and you have fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life.

[6:18] So I think that this doctrine of biblical, the biblical doctrine of perseverance of the saints is one of the most blessed doctrines in the word of God. Because when God saved you, he saved you forever.

[6:32] He saved you for all eternity. And, you know, it's, it's, you know, when you say that, I know it doesn't sound, you say, yeah, but what about this? And what about that? You just have to believe what the scriptures say.

[6:43] And you have to draw strength from these scriptures when you are fighting the good fight of faith and you're trying to lay hold on eternal life. Now, most, you know, one thing we have to avoid when you talk about things like this is that you want, you don't want to be lopsided or partial in your understanding of the scriptures.

[7:00] We need to be able by the help of the spirit of God to bring into harmony and balance both sides of this glorious doctrine that we're talking about this morning.

[7:10] And we have to make sure when you're talking about this doctrine that you don't in any way rob God of any of his glory in the salvation of sinners.

[7:22] Both sides of this doctrine must bow to and both sides of this doctrine must culminate in the fact of the truth of Psalm 3, verse 10, verse 10, verse 8.

[7:33] I'm sorry, verse 8, that salvation is of the Lord. So as we look at this this morning, we will see that there's two sides to this doctrine that are talked in scripture.

[7:44] And I'm sure you've been taught this many times. But that's the side of divine sovereignty and it's the side of human responsibility. And you will see in some scriptures that we're about to read that you'll see the power of God is at work in the salvation of his sheep.

[8:00] You have the one side of the holy scriptures that teaches holy preservation of his people. We just read John 10, 27 to 29. And there's other scriptures we could give you this morning.

[8:12] I won't give you all these. And then you have the other side of just plain human responsibility. And it's just a necessity of God's people of keeping themselves.

[8:23] First John 5, 8. This is what John says. He who has been born of God keeps or guards himself. Matthew 24, 13. But he that endures to the end shall be saved.

[8:37] And then you have Hebrews 10, 38. And we could give you many more scriptures. He says, now the just shall live by faith. But if anyone draws back, he says, my soul has no pleasure in him.

[8:48] But then he goes on to say, but he said, but we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. How can you believe to the saving of the soul?

[9:01] Second Peter 1, 5 says we are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. And what Peter is saying is your and my ability to believe to the very end will be possible in our lives for the one reason.

[9:21] And that's the power of God that's keeping us and enabling us to believe. Scriptures prove that to us as preservation of the saints highlight the work of God in us.

[9:33] The reason why you will persevere in the end of your life is because God, until the end or until Jesus comes, he will continue working in you, working in me.

[9:47] Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, Paul says this, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you, and this is a blessing scripture.

[9:58] He says he will complete it or he will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. The work that God started in each one of us, if you're a Christian this morning, regeneration, God promises that he will complete it until glorification.

[10:15] That's one of the great promises of the word of God. First Thessalonians 5, 23. He says, now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. If any kind of sanctification takes place in your life, guess who's doing it?

[10:28] God is the one that's sanctifying you. And where a lot of people have a problem is, is they try to sanctify their self. Well, if you try to sanctify yourself, you know what you're going to do? You're going to take the easy way out.

[10:40] God's going to use things in your life to get the work done, and he knows exactly what he needs to use in each one of our lives to get the work done that needs to be done, to conform you into the image of your son, of his son.

[10:53] So he says he will sanctify you completely and make your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I love this scripture here.

[11:04] He said, he who calls you is faithful. In other words, God is reliable. God is dependable. God is trustworthy. He says, and I love this.

[11:14] He says, who will also do it? He is guaranteeing you that this sanctification process will come to completion. So when you read these scriptures and many others in the word of God, you can see that the word of God shows the preservation of the saints by the power of God.

[11:31] And it's the work of the Holy Spirit in us that causes or enables us to persevere. Now, I want to give you just a quick definition of perseverance.

[11:41] It's that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer. That's important what he says. That's the continuous operation of the spirit of God in the believer by which the work of the grant divine grace that is begun in the heart where he's speaking of the work that begun at regeneration is brought to completion.

[12:07] There are some glorious scriptures in the word of God that says this. For instance, Psalm 138 verse 8. The psalmist says, the Lord will perfect that which concerns me.

[12:20] He said, the Lord will complete that which concerns me. And he says, do not forsake the work of your hands. So what I'm saying this morning is saints will stand firm to the end because of one reason.

[12:34] Because God will not forsake his work. In one sense, man perseveres. And he perseveres for one reason. It's because God perseveres in the work that he has begun.

[12:45] And he's promised that he will finish this work. And back to 1 Peter 1, 5, he says, we are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

[12:57] So he talks about the sovereignty of God in salvation and also human responsibility where you exercise faith as God continues to keep you. And we have to use all the means that God has given us in order to persevere to the end.

[13:12] We have to exercise faith. We have to exercise all the gifts that he's given to the church. He's given you faithful pastors here to lead you to where you can go to the end. God has put everything in place for you to get to the end of this race.

[13:27] But you have to use the means of grace to get to the end. Yet still, if you get to the end, it was because God kept you to get to the end. But God is a God who uses means. And that's the way he gets you to the end.

[13:39] So we're guarded or protected by the power of God in order that we may persevere and receive final salvation. The work about the Holy Spirit in our lives is absolutely crucial because what the Holy Spirit does is he continues to sanctify those who he has already regenerated.

[13:58] How does he do that? As our brother said this morning, as he was reading to some of the scriptures and the things he was saying, he doesn't do God's word. He does it through trials and afflictions and persecutions.

[14:10] And because of this sanctifying work, as the spirit of God uses all these things, saints will persevere in a course of obedience to the very end of their lives.

[14:22] And when Jesus is revealed, John says we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And the reason why we will be like him is because of the work that the Holy Spirit has done in our lives.

[14:35] Now, you may struggle and you may backslap for a season and you may temporarily stumble and depart from the way of God. But God will faithfully and graciously preserve all his people from total and final apostasy.

[14:53] I was sharing with the brethren last night as we was talking. There was a man has been away from God for 30 plus years. And I told him last night about me getting the call from this man that I remember when he walked away from God.

[15:06] And he just and he basically when he walked away from God, he just didn't go to church or anything for all these years. Well, I get a call and he wanted me to stop and talk to him. And I didn't know what this was going to come of this and everything.

[15:19] First thing he said was, I'm trying to find my way back to God. This is 30 something years. You know what most Christians would have said? He's done. He's gone. He never was a Christian.

[15:30] Now, God is faithful. And he may stray for a while like the prodigal son. I don't know how long he went away from his father. All I know is, is that his father was faithful and he came back to his father.

[15:41] How many years that was? I don't know. But you may temporarily stumble and depart from the way. But if you're God's, he will faithfully and graciously preserve you from from final apostasy that could occur in your life.

[15:54] Old Testament example, Psalm 51. David's Psalm of repentance. This is what David said in Psalm 51 10. He says, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

[16:08] Now, David is already saved. And in his backslidden state, what he's doing is he's saved. But he's crying out for God to cleanse him and he's crying out for God to renew him.

[16:20] And he knows and David knows this, that restoration can only be done by the spirit of God. Restoration is done over and over again in the lives of believers at times because we always are getting restored by the spirit of God.

[16:34] When we see him and walk away from God and have to get asked God to forgive us and he grants repentance. God is always restoring us because we're always in one form or another, straying from God and from the commandments of God.

[16:47] I don't say that you're strained into no horrible sins. You know, he says, I could give you a sin that's committed all the time. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Now, you're going to break that commandment sometimes because there's no way.

[17:02] I said there is no way that I can love my wife as Christ loved the church. I blow up over little bitty things. You know, I told people last week, one of us left a light on in the car.

[17:13] Well, I said she did it. She said I did it. Well, anyway, I'm trying to win this battle. So I'm not worried about loving her like Christ right now. I want to make sure that I get on top of this and that my pride is not killed in this thing.

[17:25] Actually, I'm the one that left the light on. But what I'm saying is, you understand what I'm saying? But you stray away from these commandments in one way or another and you have to ask God to forgive you.

[17:35] Because there's pride in you continually. The Holy Spirit is continually restoring us in our salvation. And I'm not saying that you have to habitually sin every time. We'll say some things about that today.

[17:46] But it's done over and over again in the life of the believer. But David had committed some horrible sins. And he says in verse 11, do not cast away me away from your presence. And David says, do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

[18:00] And David knew this because of God withdrew his Holy Spirit. Then David would be left to himself. And of course, this wasn't going to happen. And David would be lost again.

[18:11] And God's no longer working to keep him. And he'd fall away. And he'd apostatize because God has left him to himself. I tell our brethren at church all the time.

[18:23] You know, we look at all the horrible sins that happen in the world. And this stuff doesn't bother me because I know God is greater than any sin that anybody could commit. But the worst thing God can do is to leave you to yourself.

[18:37] Thank God that he doesn't withdraw his Holy Spirit from us every time we sin. Because that's leaving you to yourself. And you would really be doomed forever. And then David prayed this prayer of repentance knowing without a doubt that salvation belongs to the Lord.

[18:54] And he knows. David knows this. He's Old Testament saint. He knows this. He knows he's kept by the power of the Spirit of God. And then he says in verse 51, 12.

[19:05] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit. Now, in the New King James, there's a capital S that means the Holy Spirit.

[19:17] And I'm just saying this. David, without a doubt, know that he was kept by the power of the Spirit of God. The world you live in today, to me, would be the easiest time in history to fall away from God.

[19:34] Because it's the same temptations. It's the same devil. It's the same everything except one thing. Technology. You know why I say that?

[19:45] Because children, when I grew up, you know, if they had a bad magazine or something, you know, they would smack them on the head. Don't you ever look at something like this again. You know what they can do now? They can take the cell phone and they can pull up anything they want, anytime they want it.

[19:56] And, you know, I know parents watch it, Christian parents watch it and things like this. But any kind of sin that you can imagine in your mind, if you want to see more depths of it, you can do it through technology now.

[20:09] You know, we were better when we didn't have, you know, all these things in one sense. Because what a sinner would do with the technology you have now is just continue to help destroy himself with it.

[20:22] What a Christian would do with it is use it for the glory of God. So I'm not saying technology is bad. I'm just saying technology is not good for a bad heart because you could access things too easy.

[20:34] And the things that you think, you know, just like when people build bombs, most of them get it off the Internet. They just go look for it and just get it off the Internet and then show them how to do it. And so that's what I'm saying, that this day and time is a dangerous time.

[20:46] But the Holy Spirit can keep you in the most dangerous time in history because God is more powerful than anything that man can come up with. Amen. And his church, he's going to present to himself a glorious church without spot, wrinkle or blemish because he's already promised that.

[21:02] He's promised us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. I believe everything that God has said about this. And I believe the church will come out triumphant just like God said. Now, I want to look at some more scriptures that show you and explain the balance of the sovereignty of God and human responsibility in the salvation of man.

[21:22] When I say and I say these, I would say these perfectly or completely show this Philippians chapter two, verse 12. Some of these I read a little fast, but you can write the scripture down.

[21:36] Paul said, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. And then here we go. This is this is human responsibility.

[21:48] He says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So that's human responsibility. And then he goes on and says in verse 13, he says, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure.

[22:04] Now, what he's saying here is that God is working in us, causing us to work. He says in verse 12, work out your own salvation.

[22:15] Paul says as a Christian and he exhorted them all the time. Work it out. Watch. Pray. Study God's word. Fight the good fight of faith.

[22:26] Strive to enter into the kingdom of God. Crucify the flesh with the affections and its lusts and its passions and its desires. Walk in the spirit. Love one another as Christ has loved us.

[22:37] Preach the gospel to the whole world. Paul is saying work, work, work. Put time and effort into Christianity because God has put the means here for you to do it. That's human responsibility.

[22:50] But the other side is this. But in all your work that you do, no man can boast. He says in Luke, Jesus said in Luke 17, 10, regards of how good you live or how great a Christian you are, you are still an unprofitable servant.

[23:06] And Jesus said, you know what? As a Christian, you're only doing what a Christian is supposed to do. And sometimes when we do great things for God, we think we big time.

[23:17] That's what you're supposed to do. You know why you're doing it? Because the spirit of God in you is the one working in you to cause you to work the way you're working.

[23:29] And you know what? You can try everything you want to, but God will get the glory for salvation. Because it's God's work. And if God's working in you, then it's going to cause you and me to work.

[23:42] And when we work, we're still unprofitable servants. We're only doing what we're supposed to do. I'll give you a classic scripture, Ephesians 2, 8.

[23:53] You should know it's by heart. By grace, we're saved. And it said, you've been saved through faith and that not of yourself. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[24:06] No man will boast before God that, you know, Lord, if you hadn't used me in my brain, the kingdom of God wouldn't have been as good as it was. That many people would not have been saved if you hadn't used my brain to go and do whatever I did.

[24:19] No. No man will boast in salvation. In fact, God usually doesn't use great brains anyway in the kingdom of God. But Paul goes on to say, but we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

[24:37] He's just saying the same thing I just said. We work because God has worked in us. Back to Philippians 2, 13. He says, for it is God who works in you.

[24:49] God is actively working in you by his Holy Spirit, you know, both to will and to do his good pleasure. That Greek word that he uses here for work is an interesting word.

[25:01] It's the word energo. And what that word means is to be effectual. It means to be mighty in somebody. Philippians 2, 13.

[25:11] He says, since it is God who makes you willing and gives you the energy to do what he wants you to do in order to please him. You have no spiritual energy without the spirit of God.

[25:24] And he said, it's the energy of God that makes you work like you work. Psalm 110, verse 3. He says, your people will be volunteers or they will be made willing in the day of your power.

[25:38] The reason why you're willing to do God's will this morning is because of the power of God. And then he says here, Ephesians 3, 20. He says, now to him who is able, in other words, to him who has the power and to him who has the resources to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we think are asked.

[25:57] And then he says this, according to the power that works in us. So there is a power working in Christians. And this power is not only causing them to work, but this power is also preserving Christians till we get to that day of Jesus Christ.

[26:14] There's another one, Colossians 129. The apostle Paul says, to this end, I also labor. In other words, he said, I'm working. He says, striving according to his working that works in me mightily.

[26:27] I'm working because of his working within me and his working within me is a mighty work. So he says, I strive human responsibility.

[26:39] We are not passively preserved, but we are at work because the spirit of God is at work in us. First, that's going to 13. He speaks of the word of God, which effectively works in you who believe.

[26:54] So these scriptures are more than enough to explain to us the divine sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation. And when you read these scriptures, you will see that they avoid lawlessness.

[27:08] In other words, regardless of what I do or how I live, I'll be in heaven once saved, always saved. Hyper-Calvinism, you know, or just rank Arminianism or antinomianism.

[27:20] A person that's saved must have the fruit. Jesus said, you will know them by their fruits. A tree is known by its fruit. And God does not preserve his people in sin.

[27:33] God preserves us in holiness and righteousness. And I'm not saying that you never sin. I'm not saying that you're perfect or things like that. But just as our brother read just a while ago, just as he chose us in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

[27:54] His purpose of choosing his people before the foundation of the world is that when he gets to the end on the day of judgment, he's going to present them to this world as his jewels. This is my work.

[28:05] This is what the Lord has done. And nobody, he will show us the world, us before and after, and who could only change people like that but God? Only God could change us like that.

[28:18] I think about myself years ago, and I'm going like, how in the world did this happen? Because my whole way of life changed. You know, my whole way of thinking changed. And, you know, I'm not like most Christians where I have to fight this and all this stuff.

[28:29] I just dropped everything. You know, it just turned. I was walking this way, and I just turned and walked this way. Now I was a dumb Christian, but I was, you know, I walked this way. Because I had been changed. But that wasn't because of anybody talking to me or anybody trying to convince me or anything.

[28:44] God just touched me. And by the power of God, he regenerated my soul. And once he regenerated my soul, I was a new creature in Christ. You said, have you sinned since then?

[28:56] Yes. But I still go back to God. And I know the reason why I go back to God is not because of my power and stuff. It's the drawing power of God. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

[29:08] That's why you're still standing today as a Christian. Now, I want to give you four scripture proofs as we begin to close down this morning that argue for the final perseverance of the saints.

[29:20] I'm going to give you some proofs. I'm going to give you some proofs that show that you are saved forever. Number one, regeneration itself is proof that all in Christ will be preserved until the end, or they will persevere until the end.

[29:41] Very simple to say this morning. When you were saved, you were saved forever. The Bible tells you we'll have all these tribulations and trials and things like that.

[29:55] But the word of God is clear. When God saved you, he saved you forever. First Peter 1.23 says this. Having been born again.

[30:07] And this is what Peter says. Not of corruptible seed. In other words, perishable seed. But incorruptible. Or he's talking about imperishable seed.

[30:17] Through the word of God. Which lives and abides forever. Peter's saying this. That which is produced in regeneration is immortal.

[30:30] It's undying. It's enduring. It's everlasting. That which is produced in regeneration is eternal life. It's forever.

[30:42] Jesus said, I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. First John 3.9. John says this. He says, whoever has been born of God does not sin.

[30:54] And then John says, for his seed remains in him. And he cannot sin because he's been born of God. Now some people will take this passage of scripture and try to teach perfectionism.

[31:04] But that's not what John is teaching right here. Because he's not teaching sinless perfectionism. He's not saying that a regenerated person would never sin. For John to say that, then he would contradict everything he said in chapter 1, verses 8 to 10.

[31:20] Because he says there that we are to confess our sins. And he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And he says, if we say that we have not sinned, he said that we make him a liar.

[31:32] But what, basically what John is saying is this. He's saying everyone born of God does not go on sinning as a practice or as a habit in their lives. He is saying that they will not sin daily as a way of life.

[31:49] If you've been born of God, you're going to fight sin. I didn't say you wouldn't sin, but you're going to fight sin. Or you're not going to just wallow in sin. And some people, when they backslide, it looks like, well, that scripture must have been saying that they never sinned.

[32:01] But people can get into some bad sins and everything. But like I said before, if they belong to God, they will repent and they will come back to God with a repentant heart and things like that. Now, some people believe that the seed of God that John talks about here means the word of God.

[32:15] And other people believe that it means the spirit of God. But both of them are correct in a sense. And this is how I would put it myself, that the word of God is a living power.

[32:26] Hebrews chapter four. And then the spirit of God, the spirit of God uses the word of God to regenerate us and to keep us alive.

[32:37] And this is about the one of the ways that the spirit of God works in our life. It's incorruptible seed. But however you would interpret that, that's fine.

[32:47] James chapter one, verse 18, he says of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

[32:57] So under this first point, when one has the living word in his reborn heart, he or she are not able to go on living in sin because they have been born of God, because they have been born from above.

[33:13] When regeneration takes place, you are a new creature in Christ and you now have grace in your heart. You know, what's holding you up this morning?

[33:24] Grace. You have grace in your heart. That's why you love God today. And it's incorruptible. It's everlasting. It's forever. It abides there forever.

[33:35] And it will preserve you from a life of sin and unbelief and ultimate apostasy. And like I said, I'm not saying you won't have bad days and hard times and things like this, but there's something in you.

[33:46] And it's something in me today that will not let me jump off the cliff. Because a lot of people, when they're backstabed, they come to sin and they come right at the edge of the cliff, but they don't jump.

[33:57] Why? Because grace is in their heart. And a lot of times when they get to the edge of the cliff, God allows them to get there, but he turns them back around and they come back to God. That's grace.

[34:08] Grace. I've seen it many, many times. And it's the grace of God. And to me, that's more proof that you belong to God than anything is when you get in trouble and you're in sin, that you always run to him because grace will make you do that.

[34:23] You will run to your heavenly father, not away from him. John 5, 24. Jesus said, most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

[34:40] And then, of course, we read John 10, 28. I give unto them eternal life and, you know, they will never lose this salvation. So, the doctrine of regeneration in itself proves and teaches the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

[34:57] So, what are you saying up under this point? I am saying that the day that Christ saved you, he saved you for the purpose that you will love and worship him forever.

[35:08] Yes, it will be feebly and tainted with sin in this life, but you will love him forever. And I know there's another side of false conversions and things like that, but I'm not basically dealing with that.

[35:22] And I know we stumble and fall and walk away, but the Holy Spirit never forsakes us. And he who begun a good work in you, he will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

[35:33] Number two, believers cannot ever be separated from Christ. Now, you need to amen on that one. We have an amen man here. We got one in our church or two. I like to just let them travel with me all the time, you know, because you need some amen people in your church.

[35:49] And we got one in our church. I mean, he amen. I said, calm down. I'm going to say something bad or don't amen this when I'm saying this. But you understand what I'm saying. But that's good. Because you can be separated from Christ.

[36:01] You cannot dissolve or break this union or relationship that we have with Christ. It's ultimate. It's vital. It's a spiritual union between him and his people. He's the source of their life and strength.

[36:13] And he's the blessedness of their salvation. Now, there's a lot of figures used in scripture, like John 15, 5, talks about the vine and the branches. Ephesians 5, 23, 23 to 32, talks about the husband and the wife, the bride and the bridegroom.

[36:30] And then Ephesians 4, 15 to 16, talks about the head and the members of the bodies. But this union will transcend all these earthly analogies that we try to compare it with.

[36:41] But it's clear from the scriptures, as we read in Romans 8, this union cannot be broken. Number three. This will be quick. The promises of the new covenant secure our preservation in Christ.

[36:58] Now, I'm not going to read these scriptures, but there's plenty of them. But it assures that true believers will persevere to the end and they will never forsake God or fall away like the Israelites did in the wilderness.

[37:12] Jeremiah 32, 38 to 40. Jeremiah 31, of course, you know that 31, 31 to 34. And if you read Hebrews chapter 8, verse 7 to 13, he expands on the promises of the new covenant.

[37:28] But I want to read one, one scripture out of one of these. Jeremiah 32, 40. He says, I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And he says that I will not turn away from doing them good.

[37:42] And I like this. He says, I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me. You're under the new covenant.

[37:53] One of the great things about the new covenant is you will not fall away from God. He's promised you, you know, that he will not allow you to walk or depart, walk away or depart from him.

[38:05] He will be, you will be kept and secure for apostasy, period, under the new covenant in Christ. I will give you three quick things this morning objectively before we close.

[38:20] The reason why you will persevere to the end is the unchangeableness of God's decree of election. The unchangeableness of God's decree of election.

[38:32] His elect are called and they're given faith. And they will be effectually called and given faith until the end.

[38:42] You say, well, who are they? I don't know. But wherever they are, they're going to make it to the end. I don't worry about God's secret counsels.

[38:54] I just worry about what he's revealed to us. And, you know, I don't go around and say, well, are you elect or non-elect? Because we'd be putting stickers on each other's head and stuff like that. What we need to do is is just believe the word of God.

[39:06] And I tell sinners all the time, don't worry about whether or not you elect. And I just believe the word of God. Jesus said, repent and believe and come to me and I will give you eternal life. That's all you got to believe. He didn't tell you to figure out God's mind.

[39:18] You can't. It's just wasting your time. But the people that Christ has called to himself, every one of them will make it into the kingdom of God.

[39:28] And not one of them will be lost. Now, that doesn't mean nothing to us today, but on the day of judgment, it will mean a lot. It will mean a lot. Number two, because of the efficacy of the work of Christ.

[39:44] He finished the work that the father had given him to do on the earth and all that the father has given him will be fully redeemed. I think about that all the time is just what Christ is willing to do.

[39:59] To get us into heaven. And, you know, we have a spirit of just me and made perfect already rejoicing in heaven and things like that. And it's been a multitude throughout the ages, even before Christ went to the cross because of his work on the cross.

[40:13] We'll be standing there praising the lamb on that last day. And number three, the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1.13.

[40:25] In him, you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, he said you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

[40:36] And then he says this, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession of the praise of his glory. I'm going to put this in carnal terms this morning.

[40:49] It's like God put you in an envelope, put a stamp on it, and said, take him to the last day. And it's delivered on the last day, safe and sound in heaven.

[41:01] Basically, that's carnal, but it's true. He's got this seal on you. And can't nobody break that seal. And nobody's powerful enough to overcome God. And you're sealed by the Spirit of God.

[41:12] I know it's more in-depth than that. I just said that this morning. But the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling us is our pledge and down payment that one day we'll enjoy the fullness and the inheritance that God has laid up for us, what he's promised us in his word.

[41:27] So as we close this morning, what should this doctrine do for us? Number one, it should make you thankful. Number two, it should humble you.

[41:40] And it should give you assurance. And it should give you peace in your heart this morning. And it should make you give all the praise, honor, and glory to God Almighty.

[41:53] And just remember this. It's God's people. Before the world ever began, he chose them in Christ. It's God's work. It's God that makes us work.

[42:06] We work because he makes us work. And all glory is to God. Salvation belongs to the Lord from beginning to end. I want to read one scripture.

[42:18] You know this very well. He said, Christ loved the church and gave himself for that. He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that he might present to himself a glorious church without spot, wrinkle, blemish or any such thing.

[42:36] But that she should be holy and without blemish. That's what's happening in your life right now. That's why we're meeting this morning.

[42:46] Because what God is doing right now is he's continuing to call out a people from every kindred, tongue, and nation. Our brothers and I, we were talking this morning, and Brother Stan was talking about the immigration problem and things like that.

[43:01] And we were just kind of discussing stuff like that. And the thought come to my mind. There may be a multitude of them saved in the last days if they're God's people. You know why? Because he may be bringing them to hear the word of God.

[43:13] I'm not saying that they should come in by any means, you know, illegal and stuff. You don't know what God's doing. One thing I do know is this. Most Americans reject the gospel per se.

[43:24] Israel rejected the gospel. What did God say? Paul said he's going to do. Take it to another people. I'm going to take it to the Gentiles. But God's got a people somewhere. And whoever they are, they're going to be preserved for all eternity.

[43:37] So you don't have to fret this morning because God is faithful. Faithful is he who calls you who will also do it. You will make it to the end.

[43:48] Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful this morning that we're not relying upon our own strength, our own wisdom, our own righteousness.

[44:02] But you sent your son to be all these things for us. And we thank you, Lord, that we have the help and aid of your spirit through this warfare in this world. And that you promise to keep us to the very end.

[44:14] Father, we pray that if there's the unconverted here today, that you would move on your hearts by the Holy Spirit, your Holy Spirit. And, Lord, that he would regenerate their hearts.

[44:25] He would take away the heart of stone and that he would give them a heart of flesh. And that he would make all things new for them. And that they would serve and worship the Lamb forever. Father, we thank you that we can come to your house today.

[44:38] We thank you that you have privileged us to be in your house one more, Lord's Day. And, Father, we ask you to give us strength from this biblical doctrine to even fight harder and to love you more and to be urgent about the time that we live in.

[44:56]  Father, we thank you for Christ and him crucified. We ask it in his name. Amen. Amen.