1 00:00:19,932 --> 00:00:23,166 You know the problem is, we make God out to be 2 00:00:23,166 --> 00:00:25,107 a very small god when we say we can 3 00:00:25,107 --> 00:00:27,458 lose our salvation. 4 00:00:27,458 --> 00:00:28,861 (in response to a comment) 5 00:00:28,861 --> 00:00:32,409 Yeah, He's not strong enough to keep us. 6 00:00:32,409 --> 00:00:34,181 But... 7 00:00:34,181 --> 00:00:36,489 He's not only strong enough to keep us, 8 00:00:36,489 --> 00:00:39,995 He's strong enough to keep us doing good to the end. 9 00:00:39,995 --> 00:00:43,143 He's strong enough to keep us persevering, 10 00:00:43,143 --> 00:00:45,820 all the way. 11 00:00:45,820 --> 00:00:47,857 You see, you make God weak either way. 12 00:00:47,857 --> 00:00:50,837 If you say, God can't keep us, you make Him weak. 13 00:00:50,837 --> 00:00:54,489 And if you say, we're going to make it, 14 00:00:54,489 --> 00:00:57,199 but we're not going to make it doing good works, 15 00:00:57,199 --> 00:00:58,489 you make Him weak too. 16 00:00:58,489 --> 00:01:01,753 Because you're saying basically, He's going to drop the ball. 17 00:01:01,753 --> 00:01:04,832 Those who bear fruit are the true deal. 18 00:01:04,832 --> 00:01:06,736 Those who don't bring forth fruit, 19 00:01:06,736 --> 00:01:08,204 aren't the real deal. 20 00:01:08,204 --> 00:01:09,458 And they fall out. 21 00:01:09,458 --> 00:01:12,355 Why do people fall out? 22 00:01:12,355 --> 00:01:13,872 We know it. 23 00:01:13,872 --> 00:01:17,557 This has been true of Christianity for 2000 years. 24 00:01:17,557 --> 00:01:20,398 People start the race and they fall out. Why? 25 00:01:20,407 --> 00:01:23,335 You've got Demas. What type of soil was he? 26 00:01:23,335 --> 00:01:26,407 I'd say he was a pretty good indicator of the third type. 27 00:01:26,407 --> 00:01:28,696 What happened? Cares and riches. 28 00:01:28,696 --> 00:01:32,446 What'd he do? He loved the world. He fell out. 29 00:01:32,446 --> 00:01:35,978 Paul talks about others that made shipwreck of the faith. 30 00:01:35,978 --> 00:01:38,780 Why do people make shipwreck? 31 00:01:38,780 --> 00:01:40,318 What about Judas? 32 00:01:40,318 --> 00:01:42,550 He made shipwreck. 33 00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:46,330 People right in Paul's own company made shipwreck. 34 00:01:46,330 --> 00:01:48,799 Brethren, it's been that way throughout history. 35 00:01:48,799 --> 00:01:50,612 People don't make it to the end. 36 00:01:50,612 --> 00:01:52,470 Christ says if you don't endure... 37 00:01:52,470 --> 00:01:54,834 So you have it from both standpoints. 38 00:01:54,834 --> 00:01:57,474 You have the truths that God gives to us 39 00:01:57,474 --> 00:02:01,313 that are meant to encourage us. 40 00:02:01,313 --> 00:02:04,356 Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. 41 00:02:04,356 --> 00:02:08,341 My faith sinks its teeth in that. 42 00:02:08,341 --> 00:02:10,310 But you know what, there are some people 43 00:02:10,310 --> 00:02:13,532 that when the allurements of the world come along, 44 00:02:13,532 --> 00:02:17,752 they look at that, and they look at the world, 45 00:02:17,752 --> 00:02:19,430 and they'd rather have the world. 46 00:02:19,430 --> 00:02:24,989 It doesn't mean anything to them that the Bible says, 47 00:02:24,989 --> 00:02:27,835 nothing can separate them from the love of Christ. 48 00:02:27,835 --> 00:02:28,635 They don't care. 49 00:02:28,635 --> 00:02:30,638 They don't have faith to even lay hold on that. 50 00:02:30,638 --> 00:02:33,052 They're looking at the worldly things over here, 51 00:02:33,052 --> 00:02:36,853 and they weigh it out, and they go. 52 00:02:36,853 --> 00:02:41,146 You know why the true Christian doesn't bail out 53 00:02:41,146 --> 00:02:44,229 when the trails come? 54 00:02:44,229 --> 00:02:47,795 Because he wants Christ more than anything else. 55 00:02:47,795 --> 00:02:50,922 He wants Christ. He loves Christ. 56 00:02:50,922 --> 00:02:55,367 And when trial comes, He doesn't like the trial, 57 00:02:55,367 --> 00:02:58,846 any better than the other guy. 58 00:02:58,846 --> 00:03:01,843 But he wants Christ more than he wants ease. 59 00:03:01,843 --> 00:03:04,058 He wants Christ more than he wants money. 60 00:03:04,058 --> 00:03:06,857 He wants Christ more than he wants anything else. 61 00:03:06,857 --> 00:03:09,263 And so no matter how hard the trial gets, 62 00:03:09,263 --> 00:03:11,114 even Paul getting beat by the rods, 63 00:03:11,114 --> 00:03:15,682 and scourged, and in the sea, and false brethren, 64 00:03:15,682 --> 00:03:17,430 and all that came upon him, 65 00:03:17,430 --> 00:03:19,298 he never bailed out of the race, why? 66 00:03:19,298 --> 00:03:23,083 For him to live was Christ, 67 00:03:23,083 --> 00:03:26,083 and to die was gain to be with Christ. 68 00:03:26,083 --> 00:03:28,750 Be absent from the body and present with the Lord. 69 00:03:28,750 --> 00:03:32,624 Folks, when Christ is your all, you'll hold the line. 70 00:03:32,624 --> 00:03:34,561 No matter what comes, no matter what riches 71 00:03:34,561 --> 00:03:36,919 you're tempted with, no matter what trials come, 72 00:03:36,919 --> 00:03:38,439 no matter what persecutions come, 73 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:40,199 no matter what pain, suffering, sorrows... 74 00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:42,957 you'll toe the line. Why? 75 00:03:42,957 --> 00:03:45,443 Because, it comes back to faith. 76 00:03:45,443 --> 00:03:50,252 Faith believes in a Christ we have never seen. 77 00:03:50,252 --> 00:03:53,073 Bottom line: the only way people will hang on to Christ 78 00:03:53,073 --> 00:03:54,880 at the expense of everything else 79 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,482 is if they have a faith that really believes 80 00:03:57,482 --> 00:04:01,041 if somehow in their faith, they've seen in their mind's eye 81 00:04:01,041 --> 00:04:05,211 the beauties, and the glory, and the preciousness of Christ. 82 00:04:05,215 --> 00:04:08,535 That in their estimation outweighs everything. 83 00:04:08,535 --> 00:04:10,985 We love Him, folks, not having seen Him. 84 00:04:10,985 --> 00:04:13,058 We believe in an unseen Christ. 85 00:04:13,058 --> 00:04:16,758 You and I haven't seen Him. 86 00:04:16,758 --> 00:04:19,797 There was Thomas, 87 00:04:19,797 --> 00:04:22,012 "My Lord and my God." 88 00:04:22,012 --> 00:04:25,261 And Jesus said to him, "you believe - you've seen, 89 00:04:25,261 --> 00:04:28,783 blessed are those who believe and they haven't seen." 90 00:04:28,783 --> 00:04:32,009 Right? 91 00:04:32,009 --> 00:04:37,812 The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit. 92 00:04:37,812 --> 00:04:40,097 And if you read you see where that love's coming from; 93 00:04:40,097 --> 00:04:42,483 it's coming out of the cross. 94 00:04:42,483 --> 00:04:46,934 And I would say this, that bottom line, 95 00:04:46,934 --> 00:04:51,178 if somebody is truly saved, 96 00:04:51,178 --> 00:04:53,598 they love Christ, 97 00:04:53,598 --> 00:04:56,730 they believe Christ, they trust Christ, 98 00:04:56,730 --> 00:05:00,033 they look to the cross and they find hope in Christ, 99 00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:05,764 and the Spirit of God energizes that look to the cross 100 00:05:05,764 --> 00:05:09,755 and floods that person from one degree to another 101 00:05:09,755 --> 00:05:11,196 with assurance. 102 00:05:11,196 --> 00:05:13,634 And that Spirit is the Spirit of adoption that is 103 00:05:13,634 --> 00:05:15,643 bearing witness. 104 00:05:15,643 --> 00:05:18,256 And it's that Spirit of adoption that brings 105 00:05:18,256 --> 00:05:21,770 an inner compulsion now to look at God 106 00:05:21,770 --> 00:05:24,420 not as a far and a distant God, 107 00:05:24,420 --> 00:05:26,055 but as a God who is very close 108 00:05:26,055 --> 00:05:29,405 and who's a Father. We cry, "Abba, Father." 109 00:05:29,405 --> 00:05:33,903 And so, bottom line is, the Christian feeds 110 00:05:33,903 --> 00:05:37,076 and finds his strength in Christ. 111 00:05:37,076 --> 00:05:38,968 The Spirit of God - Christ said that He was 112 00:05:38,968 --> 00:05:42,804 going to send a Helper or a Comforter. 113 00:05:42,804 --> 00:05:46,060 And He said that "He's going to glorify Me." 114 00:05:46,060 --> 00:05:48,269 I guarantee this, no matter what operation 115 00:05:48,269 --> 00:05:52,105 the Spirit is involved with, Christ is the focus, 116 00:05:52,105 --> 00:05:55,575 Christ is always the focus, not the Spirit. 117 00:05:55,575 --> 00:05:58,415 Christ is the focus. 118 00:05:58,415 --> 00:06:04,479 The man doesn't exist who has true assurance 119 00:06:04,479 --> 00:06:07,255 from the Spirit and no works. 120 00:06:07,255 --> 00:06:09,211 It's a strawman. 121 00:06:09,211 --> 00:06:12,489 The man who in the end falls out, 122 00:06:12,489 --> 00:06:15,623 was a man maybe who in self-righteousness 123 00:06:15,623 --> 00:06:20,822 was striving to please God in his own merits; 124 00:06:20,822 --> 00:06:23,660 he's a man who maybe was a Pharisee 125 00:06:23,660 --> 00:06:28,194 and he put up a good outer shell show; 126 00:06:28,194 --> 00:06:30,757 he had confidence in a lot of things, 127 00:06:30,757 --> 00:06:34,198 maybe in his church going, maybe in his efforts, 128 00:06:34,198 --> 00:06:36,616 but like Demas, he ends up falling out. 129 00:06:36,616 --> 00:06:38,458 But I guarantee you, 130 00:06:38,458 --> 00:06:41,695 whatever confidence he had was a vain confidence, 131 00:06:41,695 --> 00:06:44,532 and it wasn't a Spirit of God wrought thing. 132 00:06:44,532 --> 00:06:49,311 And so, no I would adamantly say that's not true. 133 00:06:49,311 --> 00:06:52,316 The true Christian doesn't all of a sudden 134 00:06:52,316 --> 00:06:55,480 find out at the end of the race that he's true. 135 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:02,442 The true Christian had that Spirit of God indwelling, 136 00:07:02,442 --> 00:07:08,598 and there was true, living manifestations of His presence 137 00:07:08,598 --> 00:07:11,140 that gave the believer confidence. 138 00:07:11,140 --> 00:07:13,325 And where the Spirit gives confidence, 139 00:07:13,325 --> 00:07:18,186 the Spirit also works love and works the fruits of the Spirit 140 00:07:18,186 --> 00:07:22,538 and works these works in us, giving us the desires, 141 00:07:22,538 --> 00:07:26,158 giving us the compulsion, giving us a love for God 142 00:07:26,158 --> 00:07:30,139 that compels us and constrains us by the love of Christ 143 00:07:30,139 --> 00:07:31,794 to carry this out. 144 00:07:31,794 --> 00:07:34,063 And the two go hand in hand. 145 00:07:34,063 --> 00:07:37,559 Where men and women fall out of the race, 146 00:07:37,559 --> 00:07:39,299 they didn't have that. 147 00:07:39,299 --> 00:07:42,442 They had confidence and they believed certain things, 148 00:07:42,442 --> 00:07:45,545 but in the end it was a vain confidence. 149 00:07:45,545 --> 00:07:50,423 And I believe the truth is the flags were always there, 150 00:07:50,423 --> 00:07:54,039 because Jesus Christ says this in Matthew 7, 151 00:07:54,039 --> 00:07:58,566 "Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness." 152 00:07:58,566 --> 00:08:03,658 And bottom line, it was there. 153 00:08:03,658 --> 00:08:05,673 There was lawlessness. 154 00:08:05,673 --> 00:08:09,146 The Spirit of God was not communicating with them 155 00:08:09,146 --> 00:08:11,474 the way the Spirit of God does. 156 00:08:11,474 --> 00:08:13,434 Because they weren't children. 157 00:08:13,434 --> 00:08:17,886 And in the end, it wasn't true. 158 00:08:17,886 --> 00:08:20,920 We have a lot of people with vain confidence. 159 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:25,079 A lot of people believing that everything is ok, 160 00:08:25,079 --> 00:08:28,290 but it's vain. 161 00:08:28,290 --> 00:08:32,161 The Bible never is going to give confidence 162 00:08:32,161 --> 00:08:34,814 to a person who's walking a wicked life 163 00:08:34,814 --> 00:08:38,710 to believe that the power of God has ever transformed them. 164 00:08:38,710 --> 00:08:41,738 They shouldn't expect to have any hope. 165 00:08:41,738 --> 00:08:43,977 Think about 1 John. 166 00:08:43,977 --> 00:08:48,433 What are the proofs in 1 John that we're true believers? 167 00:08:48,433 --> 00:08:51,365 We keep His commandments. 168 00:08:51,365 --> 00:08:56,318 We walk as He walked. 169 00:08:56,318 --> 00:08:59,563 We have answer to prayer. 170 00:08:59,563 --> 00:09:03,467 We love the brethren. 171 00:09:03,467 --> 00:09:06,506 Basically, you go through all these proofs, 172 00:09:06,506 --> 00:09:08,612 and you get to the last chapter and he says 173 00:09:08,612 --> 00:09:10,545 I write things things that you might have assurance. 174 00:09:10,558 --> 00:09:12,563 And there's no question about it. 175 00:09:12,563 --> 00:09:15,969 Folks, I don't know how it is with you... 176 00:09:15,969 --> 00:09:19,969 I look at the cross, and the Spirit of God assures me 177 00:09:19,969 --> 00:09:22,794 I am His child. 178 00:09:22,794 --> 00:09:26,826 Then I look at my life and I see, 179 00:09:26,826 --> 00:09:29,826 I'm not what I used to be, 180 00:09:29,826 --> 00:09:32,003 and that gives me assurance. 181 00:09:32,003 --> 00:09:35,592 And then I find out that when I stray, 182 00:09:35,592 --> 00:09:38,852 the Spirit of God - my Father comes for me. 183 00:09:38,852 --> 00:09:40,698 And He lays the rod on my back. 184 00:09:40,698 --> 00:09:42,344 And He brings me back. 185 00:09:42,344 --> 00:09:48,507 I have found that the corrections of God in my life 186 00:09:48,507 --> 00:09:52,634 they give me assurance like few other things do, 187 00:09:52,634 --> 00:09:55,144 that I see as faithfulness to me, 188 00:09:55,144 --> 00:09:57,923 that if ever I begin to stray, bang, He's there. 189 00:09:57,923 --> 00:10:00,516 He's on me, and He pulls me back. 190 00:10:00,516 --> 00:10:03,475 I mean, sometimes that has caused me to go to tears 191 00:10:03,475 --> 00:10:06,501 more than anything - He is so faithful. 192 00:10:06,501 --> 00:10:08,091 That gives me such confidence. 193 00:10:08,091 --> 00:10:09,688 He's not going to let me go. 194 00:10:09,688 --> 00:10:11,714 I'm in my Father's hand. 195 00:10:11,714 --> 00:10:18,319 I mean, if I start drifting, He puts the clamps down. 196 00:10:18,319 --> 00:10:22,044 This thing is real, it's living. 197 00:10:22,044 --> 00:10:25,123 I look at this thing and realize, 198 00:10:25,123 --> 00:10:27,137 I need to make it to the end. 199 00:10:27,137 --> 00:10:30,130 I pray, "God, get me to the end!" 200 00:10:30,130 --> 00:10:31,881 "Help me to the end!" 201 00:10:31,881 --> 00:10:35,354 Because I feel that if God let me go, 202 00:10:35,354 --> 00:10:38,850 I would run away. 203 00:10:38,850 --> 00:10:41,977 I mean, that's just prone to wander, 204 00:10:41,977 --> 00:10:44,770 Lord, I feel it. I feel it! 205 00:10:44,770 --> 00:10:47,485 If You let me go, I'm going. 206 00:10:47,485 --> 00:10:50,372 Not that I want to, but I feel that. 207 00:10:50,372 --> 00:10:54,653 I feel the battle. 208 00:10:54,653 --> 00:10:59,612 But at the same time, I feel this confidence. 209 00:10:59,612 --> 00:11:02,029 Do I expect that God's going to take me to the end? 210 00:11:02,029 --> 00:11:03,932 Yes, I don't feel like I have to wait to the end 211 00:11:03,932 --> 00:11:05,776 to figure out whether I'm truly saved. 212 00:11:05,776 --> 00:11:08,618 I believe with all my heart that God has truly saved me. 213 00:11:08,618 --> 00:11:11,737 And I've seen a massive transformation in my life. 214 00:11:11,737 --> 00:11:14,866 And I think that's exactly what the Bible tells us we should see. 215 00:11:14,866 --> 00:11:18,725 And on top of that, I've known repeatedly 216 00:11:18,725 --> 00:11:20,911 the floodings and the sheddings abroad 217 00:11:20,911 --> 00:11:24,552 of the love of God in my heart 218 00:11:24,552 --> 00:11:26,624 at sights of the cross. 219 00:11:26,624 --> 00:11:31,161 I know that He has caused me to will 220 00:11:31,161 --> 00:11:33,792 in a way that I never willed before. 221 00:11:33,792 --> 00:11:37,118 I have wills and I have a desire now to do things 222 00:11:37,118 --> 00:11:40,282 that I never had a desire for before. 223 00:11:40,282 --> 00:11:42,340 I know I don't love the brethren perfectly, 224 00:11:42,340 --> 00:11:44,129 but I love the brethren. 225 00:11:44,129 --> 00:11:46,107 I want to be around Christians. 226 00:11:46,107 --> 00:11:48,954 I want to be where they are. I want to talk with them. 227 00:11:48,954 --> 00:11:50,689 I love the same Christ they love. 228 00:11:50,689 --> 00:11:53,856 I love being at church with them. 229 00:11:53,856 --> 00:11:57,627 I love hearing preaching. I love hearing about Christ. 230 00:11:57,627 --> 00:11:59,148 I mean the simple Gospel still... 231 00:11:59,148 --> 00:12:03,029 there are times when I'm studying for a message 232 00:12:03,029 --> 00:12:14,150 and I'm looking at the old truths, 233 00:12:14,150 --> 00:12:15,885 and they flood over me again, 234 00:12:15,885 --> 00:12:20,990 and I find myself falling out of my chair on the floor. 235 00:12:20,990 --> 00:12:23,271 Can you guys relate to this? 236 00:12:23,271 --> 00:12:24,659 This is Christianity. 237 00:12:24,659 --> 00:12:26,868 This is the living reality. 238 00:12:26,868 --> 00:12:30,817 This is life in Christ. 239 00:12:30,817 --> 00:12:35,865 This isn't make-believe.