Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Can you imagine training for many years so that you could someday participate in the Olympics? When that day finally came, you packed up your bags, took a plane, and showed up for the very first day of the competition. When you finally got signed in, you noticed that something out of the ordinary was going on. As you walked through the doors into the main arena, you showed your entrance pass to the guard and followed the long line for orientation. There you saw a huge box on a pallet that each competitor was filing past. As they did, they reached down inside and pulled out a gold medal for themselves. With huge grins from ear to ear, they took their medals, dispersed, and left to go back home.
Not much of a competition is it,…. when you reward yourself!
What would be the point of actually competing in any competitive event if you received the reward before you even began? What would be the point of training to compete for the event? What would be the point of getting up early to workout? What would be the point of pushing yourself further, and running an extra mile? It wouldn’t be necessary to get in shape because you could just stay home, knowing that it didn’t really matter anyway, because you had already obtained the prize, and the gold metal was in hand.
There is been a concept known as “once saved always saved“, which has been interpreted by some to mean that you can live your life whatever way you want, because you are going to heaven anyway. In that mindset what would be the point of amending your ways, to turn from sin, to confess faults, to lovingly submit to the will of God, to be filled with contrition and remorse for misdeeds, to reconcile with God and with others, to obey His purpose for you, and to walk in goodness, righteousness and truth? Why strive for these things in your life, if you truly believe in your own mind that you’re going to be in heaven regardless of anything that you do? There would be no motivation to do what was right.
Jude 1:5-7 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Even though God reaches out to save us through his grace, salvation is not a locked up deal because we have not finished the race yet. It requires effort on your part. To award yourself the gold medal of salvation before even crossing the finish line is foolishness. You simply set yourself up as your own judge and jury. Those who attempt the Christian life will be judged by God’s Word. A person can lose their salvation just as Esau did. A person can lose their salvation just as Judas did. This is why the apostles were not negligent in warning the church about being led away with the error of the wicked..
2 Peter 3:17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
If salvation was secure, they wouldn’t have needed to warn them about the misuse of Gods grace, insomuch that it didn’t produce the results of righteous living.
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
There are numerous other scriptures that show the error of believing the “once saved, always saved concept. In the parable of the sower, (Mark 4:3) are examples of people who became Christian, but they didn’t last. Their salvation was certainly not secure, because they chose to love other things more than Jesus. They didn’t endure in His teachings. Salvation depends on your reaction to the gospel of Christ and what you are going to do with His grace. If salvation was secure, they wouldn’t have needed to warn them about those who turn away from biblical truth.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Some people may award themselves a gold medal, while the truth is, if they rebelliously abide in a state of sin, they will receive a different reward.
2 Peter 2:13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness,…
Why did men of God warn the church? You warn people because of the possibility that they could get hurt. They didn’t want them to jump off of the cliff of unbelief, into eternal damnation. Remember that Jesus preached repent or perish, but many people don’t want to believe in eternal punishment as a reaction for their sinful living. They refuse to accept in damnation and hell fire as being a real place. This is because they are probably heading that direction. Its also heresy to believe that lie. True salvation is about complete conversion. Its a day by day process of submission to God’s will. Its a race. Eternal life is the reward for such daily submission to His purpose, which would be completely inaccesable without the riches of His grace.
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
The word “may” implies that you haven’t received the prize yet. You haven’t crossed the finish line yet. You haven’t heard the words “well done” yet. You certainly may inherit the world that is coming, but it depends on your reaction to God’s grace. It depends on your obedience and faithfulness to one who laid down his life for you at the cross. We have precious promises in the Scriptures of entering into eternal life, but Christianity is about believing the promises insomuch that the very thought of being able to live eternally causes you to submit your life and your will completely to Christ.
When you say the words ” I believe in Jesus” you really must consider what you are saying. You need to understand what the word believe truly means. Many people will profess that they believe in Jesus, and if that statement is genuine and sincere, it will result in an obedient heart. It results in the great desire to serve God and do his will.
We are saved by grace, but it’s through the narrow corridor of faith. Genuine faith will ultimately result in submission and obedience to the will of God, contained in the teachings of scripture. Eventually, we want to become people who don’t need to repent from dead works anymore because we are finally doing what is right in His presence. This is the high calling of God, Spiritual perfection. Some people will begin to walk the Christian Life but then they get entangled with sinful living all over once again. Many of them really believe that they are on their way to heaven, and that the eternally saved but will be in for a rude awakening. They don’t want to be controlled by biblical teachings but rather make their own decisions about how they live their own life. Instead of choosing holiness, they choose sin. Remember that in the days of Noah there were obviously religious people and leaders. They were getting married and being given in marriage, but all of them were destroyed in the flood.
Once saved always saved? Consider the following passage.
2 Peter 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Once saved always saved goes against scriptural teachings on Hope. Hope is about waiting patiently for something that you have not yet received. If you award yourself with the prize, there is no need to hope of having it later.
Romans 8:24-25 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Don’t deceive yourselves, or allow yourself to be deceived by others. We are given the promise of eternal life, just like someone is given the promise of receiving a medal at the olympics. It’s a prize that is waiting to be won, but it’s going to require effort on your part. It’s going to demand a steadfast heart. You’re going to need to get up and get moving if you’re really going to win….
…..The Gold Medal.
Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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