Turn with me, if you would, to
John 6. John 6. Let's read verse 44 together. Our Lord said, no man can come
to me except the father which hath sent me draw him. And I will raise him up at the
last day. I will raise him up at the last
day. As I just mentioned to you a
moment ago, we're going to look at God's eternal promise to not
only save his people, but to keep his people all the way to
glory. We're finishing up this last
last message in this study on these doctrines of grace. And
God gave an eternal promise to not only save his people, but
to keep his people all the way to glory. Some refer to that truth as perseverance
of the saints. Perseverance of the saints. That's
what we're going to look at now. The perseverance of all of God's
people. The word perseverance means continuing. It means continuing in. It means not stopping. Not turning back. And that will be the case for
all of God's people concerning salvation and glory. They will continue. They will
continue in. They will. But what we're going
to see this morning is the only reason God's people will continue is because they are being caused
to continue. They are being kept to continue. They're being made to continue. That's the only reason. If it
wasn't for that, they wouldn't continue. They're being caused,
kept, made to continue. What is actually happening to
all of God's people is they are being preserved. That's what's
happening. They're being preserved. Their
perseverance is actually God's preservation. Their perseverance
is actually God's preservation. What do you mean by that, Gabe?
You got all these big words and they all kind of sound the same.
Perseverance, preservation, what are you talking about? Well, here's what I'm talking
about. Here's what I mean by that. Have you ever owned a jar
of preserves? You ever owned a jar of, you
ever had it in your cabinet, in your pantry, have you ever
had a jar of preserves? Preserves is something that people
like to make for themselves or they like to give it as gifts
to others. And what preserves are is it's fruit that has been put inside the
safety of a jar. It has been covered and protected
under the lid of a jar, a clean, clear as crystal jar. And that fruit inside that jar
has been placed in boiling, purifying, purging heat. And through the purging of that
heat, everything that could spoil that fruit is removed. After that purging is complete
and that fruit is then set apart, in no time at all, you're going
to hear that lid go. That means the fruit is sealed. Once it's sealed, that fruit
will continue. It will continue to be good. It won't turn from being good
fruit. that fruit will persevere, okay? But here's the only reason that
fruit will persevere. It's because it's being preserved
by the jar. Without the preservation of the
jar, the fruit cannot persevere. Does that make sense? Now, spiritually speaking, Christ
is the jar. His people are the fruit. God
the Father is the one who put his people in the jar, in Christ. God the Spirit is the one who
sealed his people in Christ. The Father, the Son, and the
Spirit did all the work. The Son is the one who endured,
touched that heat, that burning, purging heat. The Father, the
Son, the Spirit did all the work, just like in canning those actual
preserves. The cook, the jar, and the lid
do all the work. The fruit doesn't do anything.
It's just preserved. That's how it is in salvation.
We don't do anything. The Father, the Son, and the
Spirit did all the work. We were just preserved. That's
it. We will persevere because we
were preserved. All of God's people, all of God's
people were preserved. Therefore, all of God's people
will persevere. I'm sure you have heard this
question. I'm sure somebody has asked you
this question. Do you believe in once saved, always saved? You ever heard anybody ask you
that? Do you believe in once saved, always saved? The answer
to that is this. It depends on who saved you.
It really depends on who saved you. If you saved you, if you
saved yourself, people go around saying, I got saved. Don't say that. People go around saying, I accepted
Jesus as my personal savior. I, I, I, me, my. If that's the case, I'm not actually
saved in the first place. I cannot save myself. I cannot
save myself. I cannot make a decision to save
myself. Why? It's because God's word
says, in my flesh, by my nature, I am dead in trespasses and What
can a dead man do? What can a dead man do? Salvation
is of the Lord. I would love, you know, I say
this a lot, I would love to say salvation is of the Lord and
somebody go, oh, I'd love for that to happen to me. I'd love
to have that happen again. I'd love that light bulb moment
again. Salvation is of the Lord. That's
what Jonah said. That's what every child of God
says. Salvation's of the Lord. If I saved myself, then no, I
can get lost just as fast as I can get saved. You believe
in once saved, always saved? If I saved me, no. I'm so fickle and so wishy-washy. But if God saved me, If God saved
me, if it's just confirmed in my heart, He saved me. I didn't
get saved. He saved me. He called me. He, Him, His. If God saved me, yeah, I believe
in once saved, always saved. God created a world and he created
people and they fell into sin. But known unto God were all things
from the beginning. And before God ever created the
world or any people in the world, knowing that they would sin.
Known unto God were all things from the beginning. Knowing they
would sin from eternity past, the scripture says, before the
foundation of the world, God elected a people to save. Why
would he elect a people to save? Before there was ever any people
that fell. Known unto God was everything that was going to
happen. And he elected to save those
people by placing them in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Christ,
they endured the fiery judgment of God for their sin. But because they endured it in
Christ, they were preserved. And now they have all been sealed
by that Holy Spirit of promise. And God Almighty is not gonna
go back on His promise. Every soul saved in Christ will,
shall, persevere, be preserved, all the way to glory. And just
like that actual fruit in that jar, our perseverance is not
dependent on us. We can't save ourselves. We can't keep ourselves. You want to hear some really
good news? Thank God we can't spoil ourselves. We did that
in Adam. We did that the moment we were
conceived into this world. We did that the moment we were
born. All these little precious babies that are born, they're
like, I want my mama now! I want you to feed me now! That's called sin. And Christ redeemed us from our
sin. And Solomon said what God does
is forever. If Christ redeemed us and saved
us and purged us from our sin, what God does is forever. We
can't save ourselves. We can't keep ourselves. Thank
God we can't spoil ourselves. Every bit of it is in the hands
of God. All right, now, let's prove that
with the Scripture, okay? Let's prove what we're saying
with the Word of God. I want to finish out our message
here, proving it with Scripture. Let's start with a couple of
Scriptures from the Old Testament. Go with me to Isaiah 54. Isaiah 54 verse 10. And in my Bible, the heading
at the top of my page says the church comforted. The church is comforted. God
is saying to his people in Isaiah 54 verse 10. For the mountains
shall depart. And the hills be removed. But
my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy
on thee." He said, I have had mercy on you. I washed you in
my blood. I covered your sin in my blood. I died for you, I had mercy on
you, and I've made a covenant of peace concerning you in that
blood. I've made a covenant of peace
to be gracious to you." And he said, that covenant will never
be removed. It will never be removed. It
is an everlasting covenant ordered in all things insure. You know
who said that? David. You know what David did? He sinned against God. Against
thee and thee only have I sinned. I'm so sorry. I ought to know
better by now. But he said, thank God. He's
made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things
insure. This is all my hope. It's all
my desire. He said, my word will stand forever. I am the Lord, I change not,
therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. I won't take it
away. Look with me at Jeremiah 32.
Jeremiah 32, verse 38. and they shall be my people and
I will be their God. And I will give them one heart
and one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them
and of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do
them good. but I will put my fear in their
hearts that they shall not depart from me. He said, I will not
turn away from them to do them good and I will never let them
depart and turn away from me. Never. Go with me now to the
New Testament. Let's go to John 10. John 10, verse 27. The Lord said, my sheep hear
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. That means they are eternally
secure. No man, not even this man, not
even myself. That means once God Almighty
saves one of his souls that he has set his love and affection
on, once saved, always saved, that's what it means. Once saved
in the blood of Jesus Christ, always saved in the blood of
Jesus Christ. Turn over to Romans 8. Romans 8 verse 35, it says, Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? You know, people say, you better
be careful. You'll lose your salvation. You
ever heard anybody say that? Now, you better watch it now.
You're gonna lose your salvation. Really? Really? The salvation of Christ was that
weak? Really? It was that weak? The
salvation of Christ was that insufficient? He didn't put away all the sins
of His people? There are sins that can now creep
in and ruin what He did? No. Nay. Verse 35, Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long.
We're accounted as sheep for the slaughter. We ought to just
be sheep slaughtered, because we're sinners against God. And
that's what we ought to just be accounted up to. Verse 37,
nay. In all these things, we are more
than conquerors through him that loved us. 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. Once saved, always saved. Who
does God love? He loves Jesus Christ. If He
loves us, it's only in Jesus Christ. Once preserved in Christ, preserved
in Christ to the end. It all hinges on Christ. It all
hinges on the jar. Look at Romans 11. This is a wonderful verse. Romans 11 verse 29. For the gifts and calling of
God are without repentance, you know what that means? That means
he will not change his mind. He will not change his mind.
He will not take his mercy in his grace back from you. I'm
going to give you mercy up. No, you ruined it. I'm taking
my mercy back. He will not do it. Never look
at Ephesians one. Verse 3 says, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ,
by the work, by the blood, by the cross of Jesus Christ, to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having
made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his
good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. that in
the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him." What he's saying is everything
revolves around Christ. Everything that God has done
for his people is in Christ. Verse 11, in whom also we've
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will. What does God do? Whatever God wants to do. He
works all things after the counsel of his own will. Verse 12, that
we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted
in Christ, in whom you also trusted after that you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also that
after you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
sealed, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. Chosen, redeemed, sealed until
the moment Christ comes back to get his purchased possession.
Look at Ephesians 4, I'm almost done. Ephesians 4, verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. See,
look at Philippians 1, just turn the page, Philippians 1, verse
6. 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. All the way to the end, that's
what he's saying. All the way to the end. Go with me to 1 Thessalonians
5. This is one of my favorite verses
right here. I have 43,917 favorite verses and this is one of them.
1 Thessalonians 5 verse 23 says,
the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 24 says, faithful
is he that calleth you who also will do it. If he called you,
he'll do it. He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you, never. That means you will never lose
your salvation. If Christ saved you, you will
never lose your salvation. We say, yeah, but what about
all this sin I keep committing? What about all this sin I keep
committing? Christ saved you from the sin
you keep committing. He saved you from the sins that
you would commit, cradle to the grave. You have sins that you haven't
lived out yet that He has already saved you from. It was a future
salvation the moment you were born. He died on that cross 2,000
years ago. Well, Gabe, it sounds like to
me that you're giving me a license to sin. You're just saying, go
ahead, you got a license to sin. We don't need a license to sin.
We do it all day every day anyway. All you gotta do is just think
about your own mind. I'm gonna say that and if the Lord lets
me live till 90 and I keep my mind, I'm gonna say this till
I'm 90. All you have to do is take a minute and go into your
own mind. We're sinners. Even if we had
a license to sin, we would figure out some way to sin with it.
God's people don't want a license to sin. God's people cry, God forbid,
I hate my sin. I'm looking forward to the day
when sin no longer plagues me. I'm ready to be done with what
I am. Woe unto me, oh wretched man
that I am. God forbid. God's people say,
thank God for his preservation. When it comes to my sin, that's
all I can say. Thank God he preserves his people. 1 Peter 1. I really am done. 1 Peter 1. I want to read this because I
just want to show you we're about to read five points, okay? We did this study on these five
points, these five doctrinal truths, and we're about to read
them right here. I'm going to read five verses of scripture to you,
and you can start looking for them as we read them. Verse one,
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again, unto a lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time. Did you see it? Scattered by sin. Elected by the Father. Redeemed by the blood of the
Son. begotten again, called, regenerated
by the Spirit, and kept by the power of God, through faith,
looking to Jesus Christ, unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. That's the truth of God's Word.
That's the truth of God's Word. And our Lord, the promise is,
I was gonna take you back to John 6, but I'll just stop. The
promise of our Lord was, All that the Father giveth me shall
come to me. Him that cometh to me I'll in
no wise cast out. No man can come to me except
the Father which hath sent me draw him or her. But if the Father
draws, I will raise him up at the last day. I will raise her
up at the last day. That's the promise of God. of
Jesus Christ to His people. And we can believe and trust
and wait for His fulfillment of that promise, because it will
be so. Amen.