What thrilled me about that song
is that I really believe that Christ is all. I believe he's
all to God. I believe he's all in this book.
And I believe he's all in my salvation. I really believe Christ
is all. The subject of the two verses
I just read is perseverance. What did the prophets do? Take
my brethren, the prophets, they persevered. You know, one time
Jeremiah said, I'm not speaking anymore. But did he keep his
mouth shut? No. He said his word was in my
bones like a fire. He had to continue. In spite
of all the mistreatings that they experienced and the affliction
they experienced, they continued preaching the gospel. And they
did so with patience or endurance is the word. They continued. And then we read of Job. You've heard of the patience
of Job. And that word patience, once again, is the endurance. You look at what all God brought
him through. He lost everything, and yet he
continued. He persevered. Losing everything,
he persevered in the faith. Now, before I look at these verses
in detail, what is the one evidence of salvation? Perseverance. What is the one evidence of election
that you've been chosen by God? Perseverance in the faith. What is the one evidence of regeneration
that God has actually given you a new heart, something that wasn't
there before? What's the one evidence that
you've been born of the Spirit? Perseverance in the faith. What's the evidence that you
really have saving faith? Is it because you say you do?
Is it because you give the right definition as to what saving
faith is? No, it's perseverance in the faith. Our Lord said,
He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. Now, first of all, he gives the
example of the prophets. Verse 10, take my brother and
the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an
example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. Now, these men
spake in the name of the Lord. They preach the gospels, what
that means. They preached His name as the only name that would
bring a sinner into heaven. They preached in His name under
His authority. They preached the gospel. And
what did they get out of it? Suffering. You know, men have
never loved the gospel. You find out what somebody's
like, really, when they hear the gospel. That's when you find
out what they're really like, what's really in their heart.
And men hate the gospel because the gospel takes away what they're
hoping in. If you're hoping in your works in any measure to
any degree, the gospel takes that hope away. And that's why
people hate the gospel. And when the prophets preached
the gospel, they suffered affliction. But you know what they did? They
took it patiently. They knew that this was going
to happen before they preached. God assured them that this was
going to happen before they preached, that men will hate what you've
got to say. They knew that. They preached the gospel anyway. They didn't quit. No matter what
took place, they didn't quit. They persevered in preaching
the gospel. And then he says in verse 11,
behold, we count them happy, which endure or persevere. Perseverance. Now, I think the translation here. This word is
generally translated blessed. We count them blessed. Blessed
by God that persevere all the way to the end. Yes, they're
happy, but it might be they're pretty miserable while they're
happy. In this thing of perseverance, they may be tortured, tormented.
There's all kinds of things that could bring them much sorrow.
But we count them blessed of God who persevere, who endure,
who do not quit. The man who endures to the end
is the man that is blessed of God. Now, happy and blessed. So how about the rich man Lazarus?
The rich man was happy, wasn't he? Scripture says he fared sumptuously
every day in fine linen. Oh, I'm sure sometimes he got
the blues. Everybody does. But by and large, this man was
a happy man. He had an easy life. He was rich. He didn't have troubles. He didn't
have trials. Lazarus, what about him? He was sick. He had sores
covering his body. He had dogs licking the wounds
on his body. Now, which one was happy? I don't
think Lazarus was all that happy. Which one was blessed of God?
Lazarus was blessed of God. That rich man went to hell. He
was under God's curse. He was under God's condemnation.
Lazarus was brought into glory. He had God's blessing. Now, one who perseveres all the
way to the end is the one who dies in the faith. Look what
he says next in verse 11. He said, you've heard of the
patience of Job. Now, I think that's kind of an
interesting statement. When's the last time you read the book
of Job? He seemed anything but patient, didn't he? As a matter
of fact, after God took everything, he said the right thing at first,
but it didn't take him long to curse the day he was born, did
it? And all he did was complain about the fairness of how he
was being treated unjustly and how he was trying to vindicate
himself to all of his friends. And he was complaining and murmuring
the whole way through. So what is this about the patience
of Job? James said you've heard of the
patience of Job. Well, there's a couple of things I thought
about. First, I love this. The New Testament mentions the
Old Testament saints in a light that is not brought out in the
Old Testament. The patience of Job. Well, if
James said Job was a patient man, he was a patient man. Now,
what about Lot? Would you have called Lot, if
he didn't have the New Testament, would you have called Lot a just
man and a righteous man and speak of his righteous soul? You wouldn't
have thought that about Lot. This is what God says about Lot.
He's a righteous man. That's the New Testament account.
Remember Sarah. She hears the Lord say that she's
going to have a child. And she starts laughing. She
doesn't believe. And the Lord said, why are you
laughing? She said, I didn't laugh. I mean,
she lies to the Lord right there in front of His face. And when
the New Testament account, we have she by faith received strength
to conceive seed. What about Moses? Moses murders
a man, hides his body, and flees the country in fear, afraid of
the wrath of the king. But what does the New Testament
account say? It says he didn't fear the wrath of the king. Didn't
fear, was strong in faith. So this could be just the New
Testament account of Job, but it also could be this. Job was
tried like me and you have never been tried. All of his material possessions
were taken away. Now, what if tonight you lost
everything and didn't even have a home to go to? His health was
taken away. He became covered with boils
and had to scrape the boils on his body. And his whole family
was killed. And his good reputation was taken
away. At one time he was highly esteemed.
And now all of his buddies are saying, what did you do to get
in such a mess as this? He lost everything. And he complains, you would too,
I would too. How could this be happening to
me? Until God speaks from the whirlwind. Who is this that darkeneth
counsel with words without knowledge? You know what Job did? He listened. And he persevered in listening. He did not stop listening. And after God was finished speaking,
he said, I put my hand on my mouth. I've got nothing to say. I've heard of thee with the hearing
of the ears, but now mine eye seeth thee. and I hate myself,
and I repent in dust and ashes." Now, he persevered in hearing
what God said. Now, as I said, the only evidence
of salvation is perseverance all the way to the end. How many
people have you seen begin that did not end? The only evidence
of being elected of God is perseverance in the faith all the way to the
day you die. The only evidence of being born
of the Spirit is you persevering all the way to the end. The only evidence that you really
have faith is that you persevere in the faith all the way to the
end. Just like the prophets, just
like Job, those people who endure. Now, the beginning is important. You're not saved if you don't
begin in the faith. But you know what's more important? The ending. I want you to think about that
stony ground here. He heard the true gospel. He
wasn't hearing a false gospel. He heard the true gospel. The
seed is the Word of God. He heard the Word of God, and
he received it. And he received it joyfully. He said, this is great. This
is what I've always wanted to hear. But as soon as persecution
arose from the Word, he was offended. He said, I didn't
sign up for this. I didn't know this was going
to take place. He's gone. What about the thorn choked here?
He received the Word. He rejoiced in what he heard.
He received the Word. But what happened? The thorns
grew and choked the Word. The cares of this world, the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, they
came in competition with the Word. And he did not bear fruit. He didn't have true spiritual
life. Now he began well. He began,
he was in every service. But by and by, his interest was
taken away. He might still be here. He might
still be sitting there in the pew. But he bears no fruit. He doesn't have any true spiritual
life. Now the Lord said on two different
occasions, He that endureth to the end, he that endureth to the end,
the same shall be saved. Now, I want to look at several
scriptures. First, turn with me to 1 John
chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. Verse 19. They went out from us. They left
us. But they were not of us. They didn't have the same origin. He that's of God, heareth God's
words. Where are you from? I'm from
God. My only hope is being united
to Christ. That's where I'm from. Where
are you from? Where's your origin? I'm from God. If I'm a believer,
that every believer can say that. He that's of God, heareth God's
words. You therefore hear them not,
because you are not of God. They went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt, have continued with us. But they went out that
they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us."
Now what does this thing of persevering in faith look like? I want to persevere in the faith,
don't you? What does it look like? What does someone do who
perseveres, continues in the faith? Well, turn with me to
John chapter 8. Verse 30. As he spake these words, many
believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, if you continue in my word, then are
you my disciples indeed. Now these men who claim to believe,
who claim to be his disciples, at the end of this chapter They
pick up rocks wanting to stone the Lord Jesus. So they did not
continue in His Word. Now here is the point, and this
hit me so powerfully. If you continue, where? In my Word. Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that
Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. That Word
He's speaking of is the same Word of which Paul said to Timothy,
Timothy, preach the Word. The Word of God is the Gospel.
The Lord Jesus Christ. If you continue in my Word, then
are you my disciples indeed. You don't leave the Word. You
don't leave the gospel. You don't leave the message of
this book. It's called the Word of God.
If you continue in my word, if somebody can leave the word,
they're not disciples indeed. Now, I don't know what else to
say about that. Somebody gets mad, leaves the
church. Does that mean they're not saved?
Well, I'll tell you what, if they don't continue in his word,
it does. That's the point. If they don't
continue in His Word, in the Gospel. If you continue in my
Word. What are the words of Christ
to you? Do you find His words of Spirit and words of life? It's the Gospel to you. You must
have the Gospel. You must hear the Gospel. If you continue in my Word, Not just to begin, but to continue
in my word. Then are you true disciples. It's only that one who continues. Turn to Colossians chapter one. Colossians chapter one. Now I read verse 22 so often. Let's read verses 21 and 22.
And you that were sometime or before time alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if you continue
in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from thee,
hope. of the gospel which you have
heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under
heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister." And that word, if, you're holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight if you continue in the faith. Does that mean it's possible
to be what 22 says? We could be holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight and yet not continue in the faith?
Doesn't mean that at all. It does mean this. The one evidence
that you are in fact holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in God's sight, and you think of what that means. That means
when God sees me He sees someone who's holy. Someone who doesn't
have anything to blame them for. Nothing to reprove them for.
Perfect. He's talking about justification. That's what he's talking about.
That's what justification is. What is the evidence that I'm
holy and unblameable and unreprovable? If I continue in the faith, grounded
and settled, and I'm not moved from the hope. of the Gospel. What is the hope of the Gospel?
I said this last Sunday. Here's my hope. That when I stand
before God, I'm justified. I'm not guilty. There's nothing
to accuse me of because of what Christ did in my behalf. That's
my hope. My hope is that when Christ died
for me, nothing else is needed. That He saved me by what He did. That's my hope. Now if I move
from that hope, I'm in trouble. You would be
crazy to be moved from that hope. Why would anybody want to be
moved from that hope? Does your hope get any better than this?
That you're holy and unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight
through what Christ did for you? Why would someone want to be
moved from that hope? This is justification, salvation
by grace. And my dear friend, if you move
from that hope, you're crazy. Amen? Crazy. Look in Colossians chapter two,
verse six. As you therefore have received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Now, how did you receive
Christ? I know the answer to that question.
When you truly received him, You received Him with an empty
hand, having nothing to recommend you to His favor. That's the
way you received Him. Now, as you've received Him,
so walk ye in Him. You never graduate past that,
do you? You never move past that. Just receiving Him as an empty-handed
sinner, receiving Him as all. all in your salvation. I've enjoyed
that song so much, Christ is all. He is all. He's all in my
salvation, and I don't want to be moved an inch past that. I
don't graduate from that. It doesn't get any better than
that. Somebody says, well, what about growth? This is the greatest
thing in the world. Why would you say, what about
anything else? Christ is all. Somebody says, well, what about,
you haven't heard then. You haven't heard them. If you
ever hear that Christ is all, you won't be saying, what about
this or what about that? No! This is the apex. This is the greatest. Christ
is all. That's my only hope. All that
God requires of me, He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ for.
What a hope that is. Seeing that we have such hope,
Paul said, we use great plainness of speech. Turn to Hebrews chapter 3, verse 6. Christ as a son over his own
house, whose house are we? And there's that little word
if again. If. whose house are we if we hold
fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. The confidence of the hope. Do you have confidence that if Jesus Christ died for
you, you must be saved. Do you have confidence that his
righteousness is the only righteousness you have and the only righteousness
you want and the only righteousness there is? Do you have confidence
in his righteousness? What about the word rejoicing?
if we hold the confidence and the rejoicing. Now that word
rejoicing is the same word that Paul uses in Galatians 6.14 when
he says, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That word rejoicing is the glorying,
the boasting in, the confidence in. Now what is the hope? Well,
I've already talked about it. The hope is that all that God
requires of me, he looks to Christ for. That's my hope. The only
hope I have of being saved is that Christ died for me and put
away my sins and gave me his righteousness. The only hope
I have is the freeness of God's grace, his preserving power. I glory in that hope. I have
confidence in that hope right now. And I'm to hold that steadfast
to the end. That's perseverance in the faith. Look in Hebrews 3, verse 12. Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God. But exhort one another daily
while it's called today, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of
Christ if If, there's that word again, if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Now, what's the beginning
of your confidence? Now, when I first looked to Christ, I knew He was all I had. I didn't have any experience
to look to. I didn't have any good works to hold on to. In
the beginning of my confidence, all I had was Jesus Christ. Nothing else. Now what am I called
upon to do? To hold fast that beginning of
confidence. I never graduate past that. It
doesn't get any better than that. I don't go on to higher things.
This is the high life. to hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end. Now my, the beginning of
my confidence has not changed a bit. I still say rock of ages
cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the
blood from thy riven side which flowed be of sin the double cure,
save from wrath and make me pure. That's the beginning of my confidence.
I couldn't look to myself for anything. He was all I had. I never grew past that. Somebody
says, but it seems like if you persevere, you get better, you
grow, you improve. Well, let me say a couple of
things about that. A couple of things. First, where do you find
anybody talking in the Bible like that? You don't. When Paul was first saved, he
said, I'm the least of the apostles. During the middle of his ministry,
he said, I'm less than the least of all the saints. And shortly
before he died, he said, I'm the chief of sinners. And that's
what he really believed about himself. And I look at my experience. I know that the Scripture doesn't
teach anything like that, but I look at my experience. I'm
not out robbing banks. I'm not out going to brothel
houses by the grace of God. I would depart from God's grace.
But here's the point still, I don't feel, honestly, do I feel like
I'm any better than I was when I was first saved? Actually,
I feel worse. I feel more sinful. And I think if you've got the
Spirit of God, that's the way you're going to feel. If you have a
holy nature, you're going to see that you have an evil nature.
And the folks who don't see this sinfulness of themselves, it's
because they don't have a holy nature. It's a holy nature that
sees the sinfulness. So, in my experience, do I feel
like I'm getting better? No. But I tell you this, I see
more glory in being saved by Christ only than I've ever had.
And I look to Christ, I'm leaning on Him more wholly now than I
ever have. He's all I've got. Now, you're to hold the beginning
of your confidence. It never gets any better than
that. Steadfast to the end. That is perseverance in the faith.
Now, how are we enabled to persevere? These are the closing statements
I want to make. How are we enabled to persevere like that? I want
to do that, don't you? That's what I want to do. Well, the
Lord said in John chapter 28 concerning his sheep, I give. unto them eternal life." Not
temporary life, but eternal life. And he went on to say, they shall
never perish. Do you believe a sheep of Christ
can perish? No. He said they won't. I give unto them eternal life,
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 can pluck them out of My Father's
hand." Now that's the security of the sheep. That's why they'll
persevere. They're preserved. Listen to
this scripture, Philippians chapter 1 verse 6. Paul said, "...being
confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun good
work in you will perform it into the day of Jesus Christ. Who
begun the good work? Sure wasn't you. He did it, and
he'll carry it out. You see, the Lord doesn't start
something and not finish. Anything he begins, he finishes. And he that hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That's
why you persevere in faith. He said in the next chapter,
in Philippians chapter 2, that it is God that worketh in you
both to will and to do his good pleasure. Peter tells us in 1
Peter chapter 1 verse 4, we're kept. Kept. by the power of God. Now, why
are you going to persevere in the faith? Because you're kept
by the power of the almighty, invincible, omnipotence of God. Now, is that enough to keep you?
You're kept by the power of God through faith. You know what
you're going to keep doing? Keep believing. Keep looking
to Christ only. You're kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation. Jude said, now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling. Now what Jude is specifically
referring to is he keeps you from falling away. You fall,
don't you? You fall. And wise man said in
Proverbs chapter 24, verse six, a just man falleth seven times. and he riseth. Now why the seven?
Why eight? Why not eight? Why not six? Well,
seven is the number of completion. You know what that means? A just
man falleth all the time. All the time. You know what else
he does? He rises. He rises. By the grace of God, he rises. Now unto him that's able to keep
you from falling. That's talking about falling
away. He can keep you from falling the other way, too. But this
is talking about keeping you from falling away. Why is it
that you haven't fallen away? Because he's kept you from it. Now hear me. If it's possible
for a believer to fall away, you will. You believe that? If it's possible,
you will. But thank God it is not possible.
Now unto Him that's able to keep you from falling and to present
you faultless before His presence with exceeding joy. One last scripture. Turn to 1
John chapter 2. I want you to look at this with
me. Verse 28. 1 John 2, verse 28. And now, little children, abide, remain, don't go anywhere else, abide
in Him. Now, in Christ, that's talking
about being in the Lord Jesus Christ, being united to Him. If you're in Him, that means
when whatever He does, you do. Just like if a woman is with
child, wherever she goes, that baby goes. Wherever she enters,
that baby enters because that baby is in her. Every believer
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God has made in us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. Every believer is in Christ.
And you know what else? Every believer doesn't want to
be anywhere else. When I abide in Him, that means
I don't want to be anywhere else. You know, this word abide is
translated by seven different words in the King James New Testament. It's translated abide, that means
stay, continue, don't leave, dwell, dwell. You know, that's
where you live, where you dwell is where you live. You know,
I live in Christ. I don't want to be anywhere else. I don't
want to be outside of Christ. I don't want to be, I don't want
God to look at me in any way apart from simply being in the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's translated remain. What
remains is what's left when everything else is gone. All I have is crossed. Being found in Him. It's translated
stand. This is what I'm going to make
my stand for. Salvation is in Christ and nowhere else. And
I like this the best really. Tarry. Tarry. You tarry somewhere
where you like being. You don't want to leave. You're
very comfortable there. You're very at home there. You
don't want to be anywhere. You tarry because you like being.
Now, little children, abide in Him. Persevere in Him. Now, thank God, God causes me,
God put me in Him, causes me to abide in Him. But you know
what? I don't want to be anywhere else. Abide in Him. I love what Paul said in Philippians
3. Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes looking for me, all I want is to be found in
Christ. I don't want to be judged according
to my faithfulness, according to my preaching, the accuracy
of my preaching, my Bible reading. my efforts to put down sin, my
effort... No! I don't want any of that! I want to be found in Christ
so that all God sees when He sees me is Jesus Christ. Now that's the desire of every
believer. Now why did the prophets persevere? Because they believed the gospel.
They believed what they were preaching. How did Job make it
through all those trials? God preserved him and he was
made to hear the gospel. We count those people blessed
that endure. Yeah, they are blessed of God.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach
unto thee. May the Lord God strengthen us. persevere all the way to the
end. Let's pray. Lord, we're so sinful, so weak, Lord, we ask for thy great grace
to cause us to persevere in the faith, and how we thank you for
him that's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless
before your presence with exceeding joy. Lord, bless this message
for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.