The Spirit Preserves
- a Peanuts cartoon featured Lucy and Linus
looking out a window at a steady downpour of rain
- "Boy," said Lucy, "look at it
rain. What if it floods the whole world?"
- "It will never do that," Linus replied
confidently. "In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah
that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow"
- "You’ve taken a great load off my mind,"
said Lucy with a relieved smile
- "Sound theology," pontificated Linus,
"has a way of doing that"
-
- sound theology has a way of taking a load off
our minds
- many Christians are insecure about their salvation
- they are insecure either because they are not
sure they are saved, or because they fear doing something that will
cause them to lose their salvation
- this morning, we are going to talk about one
of the most important aspects of the Christian faith
- and it’s this: do you have to worry about
losing your salvation?
- is it possible, once you’ve become a Christian,
to become an unbeliever again?
- or can we have confidence that if we’re
truly Christians, the Spirit will preserve us and keep us eternally
secure?
-
- there are two schools of thought on this matter,
and I want to see which one you belong to
- [THEORY ONE]
- the first school of thought is called Arminianism
- Arminians believe that even a true child of God
can in fact lose his or her salvation at any time due to sin or a departure
from the faith
- they find the idea of eternal security troublesome,
because they think it lures believers into complacency
- they think, "If I’m a Christian no
matter what, then I can live as I wish"
- the downside is this: you always have to worry
about wandering away from the faith
- when someone asks you if you know you’re
going to heaven, you can only say, "I hope so, but it depends on
my future behavior. There’s always a chance that I could stray
from the faith"
- many Christians live with the fear that although
they may be Christians now, there’s no telling what might happen
in the future
-
- [THEORY TWO]
- the second school of thought is called Calvinism
- these Calvinists believe in something called
"eternal security"
- they believe that once a person is truly saved,
he or she can never be lost
- a true Christian is forever saved and is never
in jeopardy of eternal condemnation
-
- now, I’m interested
- who believes it’s possible to lose their
salvation?
- who believes that once you’re truly saved,
you can never be lost?
-
- I’ll tell you my thesis
- and then I’ll tell you the Holy Spirit’s
role in all of this
- my thesis is this: a true Christian can never
lose his or her salvation
- as one man said, a true Christian can never become
like Seven-Up™, an "uncola"
- a true believer is eternally saved and never
again in jeopardy of condemnation
-
- now, we could write a book about this
- we can’t get into all the arguments for
and against
- but let me tell you why I believe this
-
- we’re saved not because of what we do, but
because of what Christ has done
- and Christ has promised:
- (John 10:27) My sheep listen to my voice; I know
them, and they follow me.
- (John 10:28) I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
- (John 10:29) My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's
hand.
-
- the Bible says in Romans 8:35-39 that nothing
can separate the believer from the love of Christ or God
- (Romans 8:38) For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers,
- (Romans 8:39) neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-
- Paul also writes:
- (Philippians 1:6) being confident of this, that
he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.
- Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:5 that we are "shielded
by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be
revealed in the last time"
- as Spurgeon said over a hundred years ago, "Until
God can be unjust, and demand two payments for one debt, he cannot destroy
the soul for whom Jesus died"
-
- you will notice in the Scriptures that exhortations
to godliness are generally based on such things as what God has done
for believers and Christ’s promised return, not on the threat that
believers will lose their salvation
-
- let me be clear:
- God has promised that if you are a true believer,
nothing can separate you from his love
- no one will snatch you out of God’s hand
- he who began a good work in you will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
-
- many believers make a mistake
- they think they remain saved because they’re
holding on to God
- but the Bible is clear that you are secure because
God holds on to you
- a grandfather went out for a walk with his little
granddaughter
- the grandfather said to the little girl, "Hold
on to my hand"
- the grandfather was taken back and said, "Why
not?"
- and the little girl replied, "You hold on
to my hand!"
- she understood that the key to her security wasn’t
her ability to hold on to grandpa’s hand, it was grandpa’s
ability to hold on to her hand
- our security doesn’t come from our ability
to hold on to God, but in God’s ability to hold on to us
- Hebrews 13:5 reminds us:
- (Hebrews 13:5) God has said, "Never will
I leave you; never will I forsake you."
- the reason I’m focusing on this doctrine
this morning is because of the Holy Spirit
- a careful study of the Biblical data shows that
the Spirit has a crucial role in preserving us
- I want to look at two passages, and then speak
about what the Holy Spirit means to our eternal security
- please open your Bibles to Ephesians 1:13
- (Ephesians 1:13) And you also were included in
Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy
Spirit,
- (Ephesians 1:14) who is a deposit guaranteeing
our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to
the praise of his glory.
-
- and then I’ll read a verse from Romans 8
- (Romans 8:23) Not only so, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly
for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
- according to these two passages, the Spirit has
three roles in giving us eternal security
-
- FIRST, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR SEAL
- one ministry of the Holy Spirit is that he is
our seal
- when we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells
us and we automatically become sealed with the Spirit
- seals were used back then much as they are today
- the seal conveyed authenticity and ownership
- the Spirit seals us and verifies that we belong
to God
- the moment of our salvation, we become sealed
with the Spirit
- God saved us and gave us this eternal seal
-
- ACCORDING TO VERSE 14, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS
ALSO OUR DEPOSIT
- in other words, the Spirit is our pledge or down
payment, the first installment
- the word means that an initial payment has been
made, guaranteeing complete payment in the future
- it’s as if we’ve been put on a layaway
plan: the Spirit is God’s first installment on our salvation and
the guarantee that the full inheritance will be delivered
- God possesses us and has given his Spirit as
a down payment, and we can be sure that the transaction begun
-
- AND THEN IN ROMANS 8:23, THE PASSAGE SAYS
THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
- the fact that we possess the Holy Spirit today
is not only evidence of our present salvation, but it is also the pledge
of our future inheritance
- the Holy Spirit has been given as a firstfruit
of the harvest God has in store for us
-
- there are two implications we need to face this
morning
- IMPLICATION NUMBER ONE: NOT EVERYONE WHO THINKS
THEY ARE BELIEVERS REALLY ARE BELIEVERS
- some of the most zealous believers I’ve
known no longer serve God
- they appeared to come to Christ, and they blazed
brightly at the beginning, but they then fizzled out
- Charles Templeton was an evangelist with Billy
Graham, but now is an agnostic
-
- Jesus said:
- (Matthew 7:22) Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive
out demons and perform many miracles?'
- (Matthew 7:23) Then I will tell them plainly,
'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
- it’s like the parable of the sower and the
seed:
- (Mark 4:16) Others, like seed sown on rocky places,
hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
- (Mark 4:17) But since they have no root, they
last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, they quickly fall away.
-
- this morning, we need to make sure that we are
true believers in Christ
- we need to make sure that we’re born again
- not everyone who thinks they are a believer are
believers
- (1 John 5:13) I write these things to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that
you have eternal life.
- how can we know that we have eternal life?
-
- do you have a present trust in Christ for salvation?
- some people give "testimonies" of a
conversion that might have happened 20 or 30 years ago
- my question is, if that testimony of faith is
genuine, what is happening in your life spiritually today?
- do you have a present trust in Christ for salvation?
-
- is there evidence of a regenerating work of the
Holy Spirit in your heart?
- the Holy Spirit will be producing the kind of
character traits that Paul calls the "fruit of the Spirit"
in Galatians 5:22-23: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"
- the question is not, "Have I perfectly attained
all these attributes"
- rather, the question is, "Are these things
general characteristics of my life? Do I sense these attitudes in my
heart? Have I been growing in them over a period of years?"
-
- what is your influence on other people?
- some people profess to be Christians, but their
influence on others is to discourage them, drag them down, injure their
faith, and to provoke controversy and divisiveness
- they do not build up others and build up the
church, but they tear it down
- some others can’t help but bless you whenever
they open their mouths
- they seem to edify others in every conversation,
in every prayer, and in every work of ministry
- (Matthew 7:16) By their fruit you will recognize
them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
- (Matthew 7:17) Likewise every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
-
- are you keeping God’s commandments?
- (1 John 2:4) The man who says, "I know him,"
but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
- (1 John 2:5) But if anyone obeys his word, God's
love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
- (1 John 2:6) Whoever claims to live in him must
walk as Jesus did.
-
- some people argue that Christians will be lulled
into a sense of complacency
- they will think, "Once saved, always saved,
so I may as well do as I wish"
- it’s doubtful that the person who thinks
this way is even a believer in the first place
- it’s as absurd as saying that because we
have health insurance, we’re going to chew on razor blades or guzzle
hydrochloric acid
- only a fool would do this
- yes, God has secured us with an eternal insurance
policy, the Holy Spirit
- but God does not cover us eternally so we can
go out and abuse his grace
- if we really know Christ, we will be trying to
please and obey him
-
- a preacher once was walking down a street
- a drunk recognized him and exclaimed, "Aren’t
you so-and-so? Why, I’m one of your converts!"
- the preacher replied, "That must be true,
because you certainly aren’t one of the Lord’s converts"
-
- do you know that you are a true believer in Christ?
that you have been born again?
- if not, you can know for certain
- if you’re not sure, please talk to me or
someone else about how you can know for sure whether you’re a believer
or not
- we need to make sure we’re one of the Lord’s
converts
-
- IMPLICATION NUMBER TWO: THIS IS A TREMENDOUSLY
COMFORTING DOCTRINE
- if we ask ourselves these questions, and we can
see the Spirit’s work in our lives, then this is a tremendously
comforting doctrine
- no one who has such assurance needs to ask themselves,
"Will I be able to persevere to the end?"
-
- you can rest secure in the assurance that nothing
can separate you from the love of God
- there is no need for anxiety that something or
someone will keep you from attaining the final blessedness which you
have been promised
- as someone has said, our feelings are not our
Savior
- we don’t put our focus on ourselves and
how we feel, we depend on Christ
-
- wherever the Spirit’s work results in the
conviction that your commitment to Christ is genuine, you can have certainty
that God will enable you to persist in that relationship, and that nothing
can separate you from God’s love
- (Philippians 1:6) being confident of this, that
he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.
-
- have any of you been dumped in a relationship?
- I think everyone’s been dumped at one time
or another
- I’m here to tell you this morning that God
will never dump us
- he has saved you and sealed you with the Holy
Spirit, and he’s not going to dump you
- that will never happen
- no one can ever snatch you out of his hand
-
- why does God want us to know that we are secure
in him?
- imagine how you would feel if you weren’t
sure that your spouse loved you
- this apprehension would keep you constantly off
balance and insecure in your marriage
- you would be wondering if some little thing would
trigger your mate, and they would disappear
- and that your attempts at love would be spurned
or ignored
- well, God doesn’t want us to feel insecure
- he loves us unconditionally
- which is another way of saying that he couldn’t
possibly love us any more or any less
- God loves you and nothing will ever separate
you from that love
- Amen?
-
- you know, I love my daughter unconditionally
- when she was born, in my mind I knew that I would
feed her and clothe her no matter what the cost
- her eating and being clothed was unrelated to
her behavior
- she might need some discipline at times, she
may be rebellious at times, but as much as is in my power, she is going
to be guaranteed all she needs to grow into an adult
- we are God’s by birth, and nothing can change
that
- we may need discipline at times, but God says,
"You’re mine, and nothing will ever change that"
-
- in the Peanuts cartoon Lucy said, "You’ve
taken a great load off my mind"
- "Sound theology," pontificated Linus,
"has a way of doing that"
