Here is what Paul says to his
young preacher and associate Timothy, verse 15. There are
exhortations here and instruction. We don't have time to read them
all. But coming to this one in verse 15, study to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing, cutting straight the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings,
for they will increase unto more ungodliness. and their word will
eat as does a canker gangrene, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus,
who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection
is past already, and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless,
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are his. And let everyone that names the
name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are
not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and
of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself
from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet
for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Look at verse 19 again. Nevertheless,
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are his. Now this morning, as speaking
on the foundation of Perseverance, we come in our study to string
together some of those great and strong chains that bind the
people of God in the way of eternal life and guarantee their preservation
and their perseverance in the faith unto the end of their earthly
life, until they are no longer in this world. For this is the
essence of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saint, that
those that God has regenerated and has called, those that, like
Noah and others, have found grace in the sight of God will not
completely and finally and absolutely fall away, but will persevere
in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord himself
said, And we've read that in earlier study, John chapter 10,
John chapter 17. Here are some of the statements
of our Lord regarding that. None of them is lost. Those that you gave me, I have
kept, and none of them is lost. I have kept them while I was
in the world. Now, O Father, keep them that
they may be with me in glory. Them I must bring, we read in
John chapter 10, as our Lord discourses on himself as the
great shepherd of the sheep. Now, with this doctrine, we concede
that there are those of Arminian persuasion who might give some
confession to a form or other of perseverance. But in their
view, when it's stripped down to its bare self, perseverance
is the person holding out in their own strength and ingenuity
unto the end. striving in their own strength
and in their own ability, using their own wills to keep themselves
in the grace of God. That perseverance is more the
activity of the person than that of a work of God in them. And so they must keep up a continual
self-denial and personal sanctification in order that they might not
fall out of the grace of God. And some believe you can fall
into sin and then fall out of the grace of God, and even after
being for a time saved, a time saved and in the Lord Jesus Christ,
yet fall away finally Now, as is the case with all other heresies,
of course, they might make an appeal under the scriptures.
So in a later study, we're going to examine those texts that are
often used as a proof text for falling out of grace. But perseverance
in the way of the faith and truth and holiness is a work, is a
result of God's work that he carries on in his elect and called
and converted people. And he carries that work to completion
based upon the foundation that is laid, and it is all carried
along by the work of the grace of God internally. This is not
to deny that the regenerate, the converted do, in love, seek
to live under their God. They do love Him, and they do
seek to please Him, and to walk in His way, and be obedient unto
Him. And they do sanctify the Lord
God in their heart, as 1 Peter chapter 3 And verse 15, because
the people of God are not stones and they are not robots, they
are not indifferent to their spiritual interests, nor is a
true believer satisfied with a carnal, worldly manner of life
as they live unto their God. But still, they know that they
only persevere because God in Christ preserves them in his
grace, as we saw last week, and that God is the author of their
salvation from the beginning even unto the end, and that is
the whole creation. all of it would dissipate again
into nothing if Christ did not uphold it by the magnificence
of his power. Colossians 117, Hebrews chapter
1 and verse 3, that God and Christ are constantly upholding that
which has been created so that it maintain and stay in its place. But even so, we'd all revert
back to a life of sin if God did not uphold us by his grace. And since God brings to pass
what he has purposed in our behalf, he will finish the work of saving
the elect and bringing them to that appointed end and to that
inheritance that is reserved for them in heaven, and that
fadeth not away." Now, in this study, we want to consider, as
I know, the foundation for the saving work of God, and especially
the work of perseverance, for that's where our focus is today. or there must be a strong foundation
to bear up any building. The most important part of any
building is the foundation that is laid. Any grand house must
have under it a suitable foundation that might bear it up. Any house
or building is only as strong or as sound as the foundation
that is laid for it and then it built upon it. Remember the
Lord's parable, I bet you do, about the two who built their
houses. The one built upon the sand and
the other dig deep and built upon a rock. And when the rains
came and the floods came and the wind blew, it was that one
built upon the sand that was destroyed and perished. While
the one upon the rock stood because it was founded upon the rock. Now a foundation means something
that is put down. A foundation is something, a
substratum, put below to bear up a building or to hold up a
structure that might be built or that's set upon it. Again,
I must say, the most important part of any building is the foundation
that is under it. Then there is a like word, there's
a word foundation, but then there's the word founded that is also
a scripture word. As in the just mentioned parable
in Luke chapter 6 and verse 48, it fell not, why? Because it
was founded upon a rock. This word again referring to
laying or building upon laying a foundation that is proper to
hold up the edifice. Now the word foundation is also
used metaphorically in the scripture as a metaphor. One example of
that is Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 10 through
12, where Paul speaks there in a metaphor of having laid the
foundation, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. You see it again
in Ephesians 2 and 20 and Romans 15 and verse 20. It is neither
visible nor is it material, but it is a grand foundation that
stands all of the attacks against it. Now, in 2 Timothy chapter
2, 19 through 21, Paul writes, nevertheless, we look at that
word, nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, the margin
has it steady. The foundation of God standeth
steady. It is sturdy. Having this seal,
the Lord knoweth them that are in, and that everyone that names
the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Now, let's look at
this a bit. Let's take this and consider
it for a while as a lead-in to our study today on the foundation
of perseverance. This may take a bit of time,
so bear with me here. this verse. Look at the word
nevertheless that opens the verse. That gets our attention, it draws
our attention, and we need to look at it because there is some
connection. Nevertheless or however we might
translate the word indicates some kind of a contract, it indicates
some kind of opposition or presenting a view of from another perspective
than that one which has just been given or that is held. It is what one commentator called
an announcement of a contrary nature. something that he had
been speaking about earlier, naming men by name, but now he
speaks of something contrary by nature. He is now looking
at the other side of the matter or of the issue. Of the nevertheless,
and especially, as I refer back to verse 15 through verse 18,
where in that passage, Paul is exhorting and he is instructing
Timothy about those heresies and those heretics that were
an enemy of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So he says to him, verse 15 we
read, rightly to rightly divide the word of truth. And they say
that means literally to cut straight, to rightly and accurately handle
and dispense the word of God so that it is in harmony. Look what he tells him again
in the 16th verse. Shun, avoid, give no place to
promoting profane and empty babblings. You can see that again in 1 Timothy
chapter 6 and verse 20. He says this will lead to more
ungodliness. Don't fall into that. Don't be
taken up or moved away or distracted by vain babblings and such like. Why? Look at verse 17. Their
words will eat as a canker, men he exposes by name as heretics. And look at verse 18, who had
erred, that is, literally, they had missed the goal, they had
missed the mark, they had missed it badly as to truth, saying,
for one thing, that the resurrection is past already, And that's an
interesting thing, we don't have time to look at that. But saying
that the resurrection is already past and overthrowing the faith
of some. And then comes the nevertheless
in verse 19. Or however, the ones knowledgeable
in the Greek say that the order of the words is this, quote,
the firm foundation of God stands. And you see that in some of the
verses. The firm foundation of God stands. Having this seed, this seal rather,
the Lord knoweth them that are his. How does verse 17, therefore,
fit the context, verse 19, excuse me, how does it fit the context
and relate to the damage done by the heretic and the heresies
that Paul is warning again, especially what is to be made of some of
those who have erred from the faith, and not only just nominal
professors, not just now and then attenders at the church,
but such well-known people as Hymenaeus and Paulides, people
that were known known to have been in the assembly. And to
sort of paraphrase the words of Calvin, what to make of those
who once professed the same faith as Timothy and as others, and
as we do, and then to turn away from that and to walk me therein
no more. To go to another gospel, as Paul
puts it in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. even go and take up a cult
or go back into the world and forsake their profession altogether. Here's a part of what Calvin
wrote on this verse of the scripture and I quote just some excerpts
from verse 19 and the overall context and he wrote No reason
for godly men to lose heart when they see some falling away or
falling into sin, falling away from the faith. And that the
unfaithfulness of men, we need to understand this, that the
unfaithfulness of some cannot and does not prevent God from
preserving his people unto everlasting life. For this salvation rests
upon a great and a firm foundation. The foundation of God does stand,
and such is sealed by the Lord who knows them that are his. So when some apostatize, the
Lords are kept by the sovereign and the secret providence of
God. They that fall away are not God's
elect, not true believer, and so they are not kept. By the way, consider some things
said by the Lord Jesus Christ himself before he went away by
means of the cross. John 13 and verse 18, when he
was exposing the betrayer, he said this, I speak not of you
all, I know whom I have chosen. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. and the Lord Jesus saying, I
know whom I have chosen. John 13, he is exposing Judas
as the betrayer. And in verse 21, I say to you
all, one of you shall betray me. Then over in chapter 13,
verse 10 and 11, and you are clean, but not all. He just had washed their feet.
And you might remember Simon's protest. And the Lord said, except
I wash you, you have no part with me. And then the Lord said
unto them, you are clean, but not all. For he knew who should
betray him, therefore said he, You are not all clean. John 6, 69 and 70, Peter's great
confession in the 69th verse, We believe and are sure that
you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yes, what a great
confession, and that's the confession of the children of God. But look
at verse 70 of John chapter 6. Jesus answered them, Have I not
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? Now, it is a point to consider
when the Lord made the statement, one of you shall betray me. In John 13 and verse 22, the
disciples did not suspect Judas to be that one. None of them
did, not a one. In fact, they all began to ask,
Lord, is it I? When the Lord said, one of you
shall betray me, none of them suspected Judas. None of them
said, I bet it's Judas, not a one of them. And then asking the
Lord, is it I? Even John asking the Lord, Who
is it? John that leaned upon the breast
of our Lord. And even when the Lord pointed
out Judas as the betrayer by dipping and giving him a sop,
as you remember, the others mistook it and did not understand that
Judas was to be the betrayer. Now, the Lord knows them that
are his. John chapter 10 and verse 27
of his sheep the Lord says I know them also John 10 14 I know my
sheep and while Matthew 7 23 there are some there he said
I Never knew you I never knew depart from me. I never knew
it and Never knew you at any time, never knew you in election
or grace, never knew you as one of my own, never at any time,
not at an earlier time were they true believers who fell away. He never at any time knew them. Now, note if you would, This
knowing cannot be restricted to a bare knowing or some kind
of knowledge about them. For in that sense, God knows
all. There's none that he does not
know and know everything about them. This knowing, therefore,
includes election and foreknowledge and a loving acceptance of their
person. And as Goodwin wrote, they that
are foreknown and these were never known, so they're not the
Lord's at all. whom he did foreknow," Romans
chapter 8 and verse 29. Not only about, but know by not
looking ahead to see what they would do, not looking down through
the corridors of time, for divine foreknowledge is nothing more
than election and love and acceptance and approval in the eyes and
the sight of God. Now there are special blessings
in store for those who are the foreknown of God, whom he knew
and therefore The firm foundation of God stands firm. Now we take a look at verse 20
and verse 21 of our text, and why Paul brings in this metaphor
of the vessels that might be found in a particular house. It's a figure of speech comparing
the kingdom or the church to a great house or a grand house
and the people unto vessels, and he uses that metaphor. How
are we to apply this to the extent content and the flow of thought
along here in this passage? So if we look again At verse
20, in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and
of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and watch, and some
to honor and some to dishonor. Now to use some of the reasoning
of John Gill, that Paul uses the simile to confirm under his
subordinate Timothy that it is not strange, it is not unusual,
it is not unheard of, that both heretics and heresy shall appear
in the churches throughout the ages of time, and that they be
not shaken by them, be not rattled in their mind when they see heresies
come and people depart from the faith. For even in mansions and
even in the most exquisite of homes, Even in king's palaces,
there are vessels of two sorts or of two quality. One, some
of gold and of silver. Two, some of wood and other,
some valuable and some not valuable at all. As Paul distinguishes
them, some to honor and some to dishonor. Read in Romans 9
about that. Now, the simile is a familiar
one in the scripture. For example, in 1 Corinthians
again, chapter 3, verse 10 through 13, where there is a foundation
laid, which is Christ, and there are the materials again, gold,
silver, precious stone, things of high value and of high quality,
but also wood, hay, stubble things not of great value or quality
and subject unto burning and being destroyed by the fire but
then in verse 9 and the good pleasure of the potter when Paul
says in making from the same lump of clay vessels of honor
and vessels of dishonor. And you see that in verse 21
and 22 of Romans chapter 9. And they represent the people
of God and the reprobate. The elect are the reprobate. The one fitted to destruction,
the other aforeprepared unto glory. Paul is very clear in
that metaphor. Now we need to understand that
not every reprobate, not everyone who is a reprobate, will be a
wild and vicious and violent person all the days of their
life. nor are they full-fledged atheists
because they have not believed in Jesus Christ. And they may
not even be idolaters. They may not be persecutors of
Christianity. And some of them, for a time,
and to differing degrees, roost in the branches of Christianity
and in the bosom of some church. But they don't have a new heart.
They don't have a new nature that is granted unto them, and
so they are not the people of God. And they pray, they are
prey for heretics who come among them. They are prey for the offense
of the gospel, and in Paul's metaphor, they answer to the
vessels of wood and of earth, the vessels under dishonor, the
wood, hay, and the stubble. Now again from John Gill, one
of my favorite writers and author, there are those, quote, in a
visible church state who are like the wood, destitute of the
grace of God and are fit matter for Satan to work upon and succeed. And we say such are those are
not proof of those who had grace and lost it, but such as never
had grace in their life and never knew Christ at any time savingly. while for the ones given grace
in Christ, the firm foundation of God stand, the seal of God
being upon them, the Lord knoweth them that are his. Notwithstanding
the defection of some or of many, the foundation of God stands
sure and firm regard to those that are known by the Lord. He knoweth them that are in. So let's consider some of the
foundations that assure the whole and complete salvation of Godzilla
and particularly the final perseverance of the saint. What will assure
that? What will guarantee that that
they that are in Christ will persevere to the end. Why is
it a certain thing? Why will none be lost? Why can
none pluck them out of the Father's hand or out of Christ's hand? As he said in John chapter 10.
Now, the old-time Puritan John Owen, who lived and preached
and wrote and died in the 16th century, noted that this doctrine
of perseverance of the saints stands upon a five-fold foundation,
five immutable things that bear up the perseverance of the saints. We'll name them and look at them
quickly during the course of our study. They are, number one,
the immutability of God's nature, that God does not change. Either for the better or the
worse, he cannot. He does not change. Secondly,
the immutability of God's divine purpose. that what he has purpose,
he will do. It will stand and that forever.
Number three, the immutable covenant of God, which is eternal. And so many people in the churches
today don't understand it from the covenant perspective. And
this is so important to understand how it works and the great salvation. Number four, the immutable promises
of God. Has God promised and it shall
not be so? Can God promise in vain? And then number five, the immutable
oath of God. He has sworn and will not repent. Now every one of these has its
part and its place in the persevering of those elected with Christ
and redeemed by him, regenerated and called and converted. First, let's say something about
the immutability of God. This is all-inclusive. Meaning nothing about him changes. Nothing, nothing at all. Not
his nature, not his duration, not his purpose, not his will. As stated in Malachi 3 and verse
6, I am Jehovah, I change not. And then he adds something. Therefore,
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. The indication is, if I were
a changing God, you would be destroyed, but you're not consumed
because I change not. Psalm 102, verse 26 and 27, they
shall perish, that is, the heavens and the earth shall perish. You see Isaiah chapter 34 and
4, Matthew 24, 35, 2 Peter 3, 7 and 10 and 11. The earth and all things in it
shall perish, but thou shall endure. They'll go, they'll perish,
but you, O Lord, shall endure. They shall be changed, but thou
art the same, and thy years shall have no end. God never changes,
therefore he is eternal. He's always been, he always shall
be. Charnot wrote on this passage,
quote, the essence of God with all the perfections of his nature
are pronounced the same without any variation from eternity to
eternity. His nature can't change and his
immutability and his eternality go together and they complement
one another. He is immutable, he is eternal. He is eternal and he is immutable. as the psalmist declares them
both in some verses that God is not only eternal as to his
duration, but he remains immutable during that duration. All of his existence, God is
immutable. Now it would not come as a surprise
to hear some say, and some to reason, that even if God is eternal,
and even if he is immutable, true believers may yet fall away
and fall out of grace be lost and perish. But let us remember
his eternality is an innate attribute and immutability is one of the
perfections of God's eternality. But let's acknowledge the immutability
of God that it extends beyond His nature and eternality, as
God is also immutable in nature and essence and attributes. so
that all of his covenant, all of his promises, his oath and
his purpose shall stand forever because God is eternal and immutable. Secondly, the immutability of
the covenant between the Holy Three, a covenant of grace which
is called an everlasting covenant in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse
20. Hebrews is the rich place to
learn about this covenant. There we learn of the relation
of Christ unto the covenant of God, such as Hebrews 13 and 20. His blood is the blood the everlasting
covenant his blood is the blood of that Testament again in Matthew
26 and 28 but in Hebrews 7 and 22 again Christ is the surety
of the covenant that is he is the guarantee and He's the sponsor. He's the fiducer. He's the one
that stands to make good those that are God's little Benjamins
and bring them into the presence of Almighty God. Hebrews 8.6,
9.15. Christ is the mediator of the new and better covenant.
He's also the priest who gave himself to God in sacrifice for
our sin as the great high priest. He is engaged to bring many sons
to glory. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10,
and to lose none given to him by the Father, John chapter 6
and 17. God pledges his faithfulness
to his covenant. My covenant will I not break. Psalm 89 and 34, and Christ the
Lord, God's own eternal Son, is pledged before God to fulfill
that covenant. And this pledge reaches to the
perseverance and the glorification of the elect of God. Third, let's look at the purpose
of God. We spoke of this in an earlier
study, so we'll make it short. And that is that salvation is
according to the purpose of God. Then fourth, the promise of God
also carries along the perseverance of the same. For eternal life
is by the promise of God, made before the world began. Have you read that in Titus chapter
1 and verse 2? By God who can not lie, yea,
it is impossible for God to lie, Hebrews 6 and verse 18. God promised
Abraham an heir. Remember that in the Old Testament?
God promised Israel a land flowing with milk and with honey. He
promised a Messiah by the prophets and by the scripture. Even so,
the promise of eternal life and all salvation promises are established
and fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. Now understand
this, as a building is no stronger than its foundation. The promise
is no better than the character of the one that is promising. The promise is no better than
the character and the fidelity of the one that is promising.
Then we like Abraham, Can be fully persuaded that what he
has promised he is able to perform Romans chapter 4 in verse 21
Hebrew 6 in verse 13 when God made promise to Abraham Because
he could swear by none greater than himself. He's where by Himself
he swear by himself that Abraham's promise would certainly come
to pass you have that in in Genesis 22 and 16, and in Luke chapter
1 and verse 73. In 1 Corinthians 1 and 20, all
the promises of God in him are not yes and no, but they are
yay and amen, says Paul. The promises of God will be realized,
and this includes perseverance, preservation, and the final glorification
Now, let's bring our study to a close by using scriptures that
declare in favor of preservation and of perseverance. Here are
a few very clear declarations to that end. John 10 and verse
28. The Lord, speaking about his
sheep, said this, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. Now, putting the emphasis upon
the phrases, eternal life, and they shall never perish. I give unto them eternal life,
they shall never perish. I, the good shepherd, I who lay
down my life for the sheep, I who give them eternal life, never-ending
life, I give them everlasting. It is called in the scripture,
they shall never perish. Now this is an unqualified and
an unconditional declaration. Never perish, by no means. Now the Armenians are willing
to modify this, that Christ will not cast them out, though they
may go out on their own or by their own will. or that they
will not perish owing to any failure or dire election on the
part of Christ, but that they may perish by their own hand
and by their own action. Our men has put conditions upon
it, but they shall never perish, they say, so long as they keep
themselves in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it is
strengthened even more, I think, by the words that our Lord spoke
None can pluck. None can pluck. Not anyone can
pluck. The word pluck, I think, means
seize or it means to snatch or pull or to take. Take them out
of my hand. The word pluck is harpazo and
is at least 13 times in the New Testament variously translated,
not always translated by the same word. Here are some examples.
if you're interested in taking them down and looking at them
later. Matthew 11 and verse 12, the
kingdom of heaven is taken by force. And that's that word pluck. Matthew 13, 19, it is used of
the wicked one coming and snatching away the word of God out of the
heart of the hearer. Snatching is that same word that
we have here. And in John 10 and 12, the wolf
catches them. That is, he snatches them. He
seizes them. It's the word pluck later on.
Acts 8 and 39, it's the same word used when the scripture
said, the spirit of the Lord caught Philip up and took him
away to another place. The Spirit of the Lord caught
him up. 2 Corinthians 12 and 2 in verse
4, it's the same word used when Paul said a man was caught up
into heaven, snatched up, seized up, pulled up. 1 Thessalonians
4, 17, it is that one caught up together to meet the Lord
in the air. Jude verse 23, pulling them out
of the fire. Same word that we have here.
None is able to pluck them. out of my hand or my father's
hand, for they are sealed up in Christ. And remember, they
are in vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ. They're not detached
from Him. They have a living, real, vital
union to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They are in Him. They have that vital union, and
they are sealed by the Holy Spirit. How long? Until the day of redemption. sealed by the Holy Spirit to
the day of redemption. So this is a comfort under the
saints, but not to the carnal world. It gives him no liberty
or license to think that because he accepted Jesus when he was
10 and been living for 50 years a sinner, any comfort to be found
for that person at all, but for they who have persevered in the
way.