In Christ You Are Eternally Secure - Romans 8:38-39

1:08Man. So, and thank you to the worship team for that. So, let's not jump into God's word. Do not open your Bible to anything at the moment. You may recall last time that I was here, we actually skimmed through 1 John. It was a 10-point test to see if you are in the faith. It was kind of a jarring sermon, and I think that's the intention of 1 John: to get your attention and go, you should. That you're actually in Christ. This is part two. This is the opposite side of the coin that we're going to talk about today, a subject that I suspect there are people here who wrestle with a lot. And so it's a joy to bring you this message, but it is a dangerous word that I bring to you today because you see, it's been said that grace is more dangerous than law.

1:58And it is. Because legalism, it's a system. You set it up, you make the rules, you can kind of get around things as you go. Grace says, you have been forgiven for all of your rule-breaking. Now go and serve me and love me. And that is a dangerous message, but that is our faith. And so I am here today to joyously proclaim to you a doctrine that might just cause you to leave here, skipping a little bit this morning. Back in the 16th century, 1542, there was a cardinal who was born. Well, he wasn't a cardinal when he was born, but he was born, became a cardinal. Robert Bellardine is his name, and he ultimately died in 1621. He was the personal theologian for Pope Clement VIII. He was a leader in the counter-Protestant Reformation. And he said this: I quote, and this is going to be a quiz for you to fill in the blank.

2:55The most dangerous of all Protestant heresies. Is you're thinking justification. You're thinking grace alone, faith alone, Jesus Christ alone, sola scriptura. Those are all the things that I would say, but his shocking answer was the most dangerous Protestant heresy of all is the doctrine of assurance. That's what we're going to talk about today, that dangerous doctrine, assurance, because he did say his fear for this doctrine is it might lead to liberality, carnality, licentiousness, and antinomianism. Paul squashes that in Romans chapter 6 when he says, Do I go on sinning that grace might more abound? Certainly not. Apparently, the Cardinal didn't read that verse and understand the joy of having our salvation secured for us in heaven by a God who is not only keeping us, but he is going to keep us kept. There are two views these days on the subject of assurance. One is a doctrine they call it conditional security. Conditional security. Ask yourself the question: if there's a condition, is it secure? Because if I can break that condition, then I'm out and I'm not secure at all. And yet there are many in evangelical Christianity these days that hold to the view that you can be saved and then lose it somehow. Do I think these people are idiots? No, I don't at all. I fully disagree. With them. But there are many Bible verses that you'll read and go, did that just say that I can lose my salvation? Think Hebrews 6, Hebrews chapter 10. It looks like I can lose it. So maybe security is conditional after all. But then there's another view that is held, and it's the view that I'm going to present to you today based on our text that we will get to. It is called eternal security. It is sometimes called the perseverance of the saints. Once saved, always saved. So how do we resolve this tension? Here's how I see it. If you read the Bible, you have got Bible verses, and there's a fair number that appear to state you can lose your salvation. On this side, you've got a mountain. And so if you put these two views on a scale with their Bible verses, what I think you see is the scale tipping very strongly toward eternal security. Once God saves you, He doesn't blow it, He doesn't drop the pass in the end zone, He doesn't fumble the football, He saves you, and He gets you there. The Reformers talked about how you deal with the Bible with verses that appear to contradict one another. And that's what we're going to use today to resolve this tension between the two views. Scripture interprets Scripture. We use the analogy of Scripture. So when you See this mountain of verses that is crystal clear. Nobody is going to snatch you from the hand of Jesus Christ. Everybody that has been given to the Son will be delivered for glorification. You take those verses, and then seeing clearly that God, we interpret the unclear in light of the clear, and suddenly the Bible harmonizes and everything makes perfect sense. I believe God is clear. Once you're saved, you are eternally secure. I would now like you to open your Bible to Romans chapter 8, verse 1, even though that's not our text. Because while you're turning to Romans 8, verse 1, I want to talk about two hermeneutical principles.

6:50One would be the best way to know what a Bible verse is saying is context, context, context. Context is absolutely key in understanding a word in a Bible verse or the Bible verse itself or a section of Scripture. But there's also a little bit of language that I'd like us to think about this morning as we approach our text. Tenses and voices are really crucial. The Greek language, not like the English language. We have to use a lot of words to say one thing. In Greek, a verb said a lot, just the one verb, not a lot of additions to it. It would change an ending and it would become something radically different. And so we need to understand tenses. Did it happen in passing? Past tense? Is it present tense? Is it future tense? And they have something called voice in the Greek language. Voice is either active, middle, or passive voice. So think of it like this: active is, I throw. Middle voice, I am throwing myself. I'm acting on myself. And passive is, I'm being thrown, or I've been thrown, or I'm going to be thrown. Something externally is acting on me. That is the passive voice. And here is what we are going to see as we make our way through Romans. Whenever your justification is talked about, it is past tense, completed, passive. It has happened to you.

8:15You have been justified outside of yourself. You are being maintained outside of yourself in a different location. Your salvation is not dependent on your feelings. Your salvation is not dependent on your works. It is dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is where your security is, and that is why it should be unwavering. Your justification, always spoken about beforehand. So is your glorification. It happened beforehand to you. And we're not going to do this this morning. Keep your Bibles open to Romans 8:1. But this theme, I believe, is a thread in the fabric of the book of Romans. The book of Romans has been. Called really the treasure chest of God's word. I agree with that. And if there's a crown jewel in that chest, it's our verses this morning, Romans 8, 38, and 39. But we're going to sneak up on those verses because this isn't our verses that we're going to rejoice in today. Not the first time Paul talked about it. He talked about you being saved, not saving yourself, not future justification. You have been justified by God in the past. It appears in Romans 1:1, chapter 4, 3 and 7, Romans chapter 5, verse 1, Romans 5, 9 through 10, Romans 6, 22 through 23. Romans 7 leads us into our text. Justification and eternal security are woven throughout the first eight chapters of the book of Romans. So when we now get to Romans chapter 8, Paul is leading to a crescendo, and we are going to hear him thunder, You cannot get yourself saved, and you cannot get yourself lost. I am convinced of this. So in Romans chapter 7, we see the battle that Paul has with sin. And Paul is talking about, oh, what a wretched man I am. I want to do good, but I don't do the things that I want to do, but I do the things that I don't want to do. What a wretched man I am. Who will save me from this body of death? And the last verse says, Thanks be to God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, that wretched man has been made clean. Now we get to Romans 8:1. That's the context. And understanding another aspect of Greek is word order. If in Greek you really want to emphasize something, you put that word at the front of the sentence. You put it right up front, and you use the most emphatic term that you can. And that's what we see in Romans 8:1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The therefore is there for the purpose of recalling everything that you have just been hearing about: law, gospel, grace, justification, security. Therefore, and the word order is, he puts an emphatic Greek negation, it's uden, in the front. No condemnation, therefore, in Christ Jesus.

11:28This is what Paul was trying to say to you. No condemnation. He's shouting at us, no condemnation. You look at your life and you see the sins and the battle that goes on. No condemnation. That's how he begins, Romans chapter 8, verse 1. He wants you to hear that when you have been saved, you're not going to get condemned again. You're in Christ. And that is how Romans chapter 8 kicks off. Now go to Romans chapter 8, verse 29.

12:04And if you had to pick a clobber verse for eternal security, this would definitely be on the list. Romans 8:29. For those whom he foreknew, that's God acting in the active voice, he also predestined. Aorist, past, the past tense, he did this. He predestined in the past, and it's an active voice. God is doing the active, that he predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined, he also called, active. These whom he called, active, he also justified, active. And these whom he justified, active, he also glorified, active. You know that your glorification was secured in eternity past? And you haven't experienced it yet. But this is precisely what our text says: that God predestined, he called, he justified, he sanctified, and he glorified in the past before the planet existed. Clearly, Ephesians 1:4 echoes the theme, all of God's active work, predetermining, not knowing who might be saved, but electing those whom he has predestined.

13:31The Bible is very clear on the subject. Now, the Bible is also very clear on human responsibility, that we absolutely stand before God as a human being who's responsible for decisions that are made. And these two don't need to live, you don't reconcile friends. These two doctrines coexist. We have a genuine human responsibility. God genuinely saves. And that's what we just saw in our text. Romans 8:33. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God elects. He doesn't know the future and know who's going to choose him. He elects. God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yea, rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for you. There's another sign you can't lose your salvation. If you can fall from grace, Jesus' intercessory work has failed. It's not going to happen. You can no more lose your salvation than Jesus can fall from heaven. If you can lose your salvation, congratulations, you have thwarted and overcome the omnipotent God.

14:49And that seems a little bit far-fetched. You perhaps feel accusing thoughts when you sin. Look at this text. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? Whenever you feel an accusation, remember the gavel has been slammed. The verdict has been rendered. Any dissenters should simply be removed from the courtroom of your brain. You cannot have a charge brought against you. Gavel slammed, case dismissed. That is how we need to be thinking. Romans 8:35. We get to our first list. Lists are important in the Greek language. Whenever you see a list, pay attention because the author is wanting to make a point. And he begins to build even more on what he's been saying about this glorious doctrine of assurance. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Isn't that the issue? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? I'm not into numerology at all, but I can't help but wonder if Paul didn't choose seven things as the number of perfection. He's trying to make a point here. Look at the list. Who's going to separate you? Tribulation? He lists all the worst things possible. Distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. Nothing.

16:12No condemnation. Your thoughts may deceive you. But that's when we run to the text and we are led by facts and not by feelings. If your Christian walk is based on your feelings, it's going to be rough. It just will. Life is hard. It is difficult. I know this year we're celebrating the, celebrating, what a horrible word, remembering the anniversary of one of your members who was killed in his own home. This life is hard. There's diseases, there's sickness. And what about that Romans 7 battle with sin? And you might be inclined to have some accusing thoughts. You might be inclined to doubt. You need to run to the facts. If you're in Christ, you're going nowhere. Your security is in Him. And now we get to our text. This is Paul's exclamation point on what He has been trying to say now for eight chapters. If there's a zenith in the book of Romans, this is it. Romans 8:38 through 39. If you'd turn your attention to that, please.

17:25For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, we've arrived at the mountaintop, and I'd like to point out three aspects of this test. And because now that I know this is a subject, Baptist Church. I did alliteration, so this should just work perfectly.

18:06Conviction. Conviction. You got a lot of voices vying for your conviction. Political voices, allegiances to school. They want you to be really, really convinced that this is the best. All kinds of places. Sports convictions, entertainment convictions. Paul's conviction was theological. And he wants you to have that conviction too. See what he said? For I am convinced. Strong word, pytho. And it's passive. Remember, passive? You get acted upon. Paul has been acted on. Paul has been convinced. By whom? By God. He's convinced.

18:49This is what he's staking his life on. Good theology. And he wants us to stake our lives on it too. Because if you don't set your feet on this rock, you are going to be shaky. And when the winds blow, you are going to get knocked down and you're going to feel like you're completely detached from God. And Paul wants you to be convinced. You were sealed in the Holy Spirit. Paul talks about in Ephesians 1. You were sealed by the Holy Spirit. Once again, God sealed you with the Holy Spirit. If you can get unsaved, you've broken the seal. You have somehow overcome the power of the Holy Spirit. To keep you saved, God has given you a pledge, and he doesn't break his promises. We should not waver. We should not doubt. We should not have wobbly thoughts when it comes to the status of your soul. If you are in Christ, you are in Christ forever. Imagine God declaring you from the heavens forgiven. You do something. The Bible never indicates what it is we could do to now lose our salvation. And he goes, unjustified. White as snow, white as snow. Oh, dirty again. And he lets you go. God isn't changing in that regard. He's immutable and he sealed you with his Holy Spirit. Settle the issue today, my friend. Be convinced. You are eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's a hard thought for some of us, but that's what Paul wants for us. Second observation about the text, please notice the contrast and completeness. It's as if Paul is saying this is from A to Z, but they're set negatively. Notice that, too. Take a look at the things that he says. Neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come. Negative. He's trying to put a sharper edge on this. He's trying to drive the nail deeper into the board so that we get this. He wants you to see these amazing things. Comparisons and contrasts that are set before you so that you don't doubt. And then look at the completeness of this. I mean, everything is listed there that could possibly separate you from the love of God. Look at the list that we see. Death can't separate you from the love of God. Is there anything stronger than death? Wins every time.

21:21Can't separate you. Life, and I think that's the trials of life. Just how hard it is here. Can that? No. Can angels, uh-uh, principalities? Things present, things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth. Is there anything that's getting missed here? Well, he makes sure that nothing gets missed, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is a very complete list. Nothing, nothing, nothing can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Your accusing thoughts cannot separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Do you sin and get an accusing thought? You should, if you're in Christ, but that doesn't mean you're out of the camp. Nothing separates you from his love. Can death? Nope. Diagnosis. Can your parents separate you from the love of God? Can a really, really, really nasty spouse, an unbelieving spouse, separate you from the love of God? Not according to Paul. What? About your past? What about your closet where all those bones rattle? Do they ever bubble up from the sea of forgetfulness to the top, to the surface? What do we do with those? What do we do with those? God says that our sins, he's cast into the sea of forgetfulness. Does that mean that God forgets? Certainly not. He doesn't forget anything, but he just doesn't bring them up. He doesn't dredge them up and accuse you. You know, let me just remind you, you, but we do that to ourselves, don't we? And maybe you look back and you think, I'm not so sure. That sin could separate. We commit some really wicked sins, y'all.

23:12There are people who do some really, really awful, sexual, sinful things. Paul says to you, that can't separate you. Your abortion? So many women who have gone through that and just always feel like a second-class Christian. Paul is saying, you're not separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus. You've got a besetting sin, that nagging thing that you just feel like I am never done with this sin. Can that separate you from the love of God? Can homosexuality separate you from the love of God? No, I'm not talking about, remember I said this is a dangerous sermon. I'm not talking about that you're living in an ongoing lifestyle. Don't worry about it. You're in Christ. You're saved. I got to tell you something. If you don't worry about it, you're not in Christ. But if you're worried about it, you're in Christ. Whatever it is that you've done in the past, it can't separate you from the love of God. Let's get even stronger. Pedophilia.

24:18Let's say somebody has done that wicked thing in the past. Is there an exception in our text that says you can be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus? God's grace not only saves the worst of the worst, the bottom of the barrel, which is all of us, but he never, ever lets us be separated. Please note from the text, too, what are we separated from here? And that really leads us to our third point: Christ, you are in Christ. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ. Notice it doesn't say the tolerance of God. Notice it doesn't say you can't be separated from the forbearance of God, like God just puts up with these sinners. No, you can't be separated from his love. And this very thing can help you with the doctrine of assurance, especially when you're an individual who sins and perhaps thinks, yikes, I'm not saved anymore. Can your sins separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus? Uh-uh. You've had a battle with pornography. Haven't watched it in two years, and you stumble.

25:34Can you be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus? No. Now, please note: go back to Romans chapter 7. Paul was in a battle with sin, but he was not a perpetual sinning, willing participant in sin. If you keep on sinning, you're of the devil. 1 John 3:8:9, you are of the devil. You wake up in the morning, I love my sin, I'm going to carry out my sin. I'm going to live my sin. I love my sexual sins. I love to get drunk every night. I'm a fornicator, whatever. And I do it, and I wake up the next day, and round and round you go. You're not in Christ. But if you are in Christ and you are in the battle, nothing can separate you from the love of God. Why? Because it's in Christ. That's our security. What is it that we would have to do to lose it? Well, the Bible never hints at it, but I would ask my friends who are on the conditional security side: what is it that we have to do that would cause God to go, nope, not that sin. Nope, not that sinner. There's nothing. Why? Because it's not in you. To think that you can maintain your salvation is the Roman system. That's a works-based salvation. You can take some credit for it. All right, I maintain myself and I go to heaven. I can get at least a little bit of credit. Oh, no, you won't. God's getting all the credit for saving you and for keeping you and for glorifying. You. You can't get out of it because you're in Christ. Your feelings are going to deceive you. And if you're, look, there's nothing wrong with occasionally examining yourself to see if you're in the faith. I think we're encouraged and exhorted to do that. But if you're a perpetual navel-gazer, you're looking in the wrong direction. When you sin and when you doubt, don't look at your sin. Look at your Savior. That's where my salvation is. That's where my forgiveness is. Where's your salvation stored? In heaven. It's seated on the right hand next to God the Father. That's where your salvation is. That's where your security is. It is not in your feelings. Please notice the language here. Paul is trying to be so emphatic about this. God's love for you in, does he just say Jesus? No, we get Jesus' name, but we get Christ our Lord. Name two titles. He does this also in Romans chapter 1 a couple of times. This is an emphatic. Are you getting it? Are you getting it? Your salvation is in Christ Jesus, the Lord. But notice it's not the Lord, it's our Lord, which is much more personal, which is much more intimate. It's also very exclusive. This is a punctuation mark that you are in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and you are loving. Loved.

28:32You're not stomached by God. You're loved by God. Do you struggle with that? A lot of us do. I know a lot of people do. I talk to folks like this all the time. I struggle with this. We should struggle with this to a degree. God loves me. Well, that's what it says because it's in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let me just say this to you. If you struggle with the notion that God actually loves you, can I just try to put a smile on my face and say this? Just get used to it. Get used to it. It's a fact. And is it because you're so lovable? No.

29:14No, it's not. God doesn't love me because I'm adorable. Ask somebody seated in this congregation this morning. I'm loved because I'm in Christ. And that means I am loved with the same love that the Father has for the Son. And so are you. You want to make your brain crack open today? Ponder that thought. Meditate on that thought. You are as loved by God the Father as the Son is loved by the Father. There's no more love that God can love you with than that. And it's not because we deserve that love, it's because it's in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We are in Him, He is our new identity. Let me show this to you.

30:00Do you remember Paul? He's traveling on the road to Damascus, blinding light. Hears a voice from heaven saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the evangelical Christians? Doesn't say that, does he? Why are you persecuting me? So not only do we identify with him, he identifies with us. This happens throughout the Bible pretty consistently. What you have done for the least of these, my brethren, not the pagans, what you've done, you've done it unto me. He identifies with those people. Where else does he identify with us? The cross. God sees him as if he were we, and then he looks at us as if we're him. We are in Christ. We don't just say, yeah, I identify with him. He actually states it very clearly. He identifies with you. You are a Christ one. That's who you are. You're not a Republican Christian.

31:01You're a Christ one. You're in Christ. That's it. You're not a conservative Christian. You're a Christ one. You're not a skin color Christian. You're a Christ one. What do we get in Christ? Let me give you a short list. There are more. Here are all of the things that God gives to us in Christ: spiritual life, forgiveness, liberty, righteousness, adoption as such. Sons and daughters, a new nature, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. You are brought near to God. You have peace that surpasses all understanding. You've got a cleansed conscience. You've got a resurrection to come, and you have got eternal security. Are you one of the people who thinks, but there's a problem with that? I sin, and therefore I'm no longer saved. Romans chapter 4 describes a man who committed some whoppers, Abraham. Remember what Abraham did? Basically, he sold out his wife twice to protect his own hide. If anybody should have lost it, it should have been Abraham. But Romans 4 says the exact opposite. He had faith, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

32:19You can't sin and disqualify what God has accomplished. Charles Spurgeon said, if he had meant to cast you away, he would have done so long ago. If he wanted reasons for rejecting you, he had reasons from all eternity, for he knew what you would be. No sin in you has been a surprise to him. No condemnation. Got a question for you. Do you ever think that you're not saved because you discover a new sin? Has that happened to you yet? Maybe you've been in a Christian walk for a while, and all of a sudden, wow. I didn't realize I was doing that. Am I not in Christ? And I would, first of all, answer that by saying, well, how do you feel about that? If it's like, well, whatever, well, you're going on that grace might more abound and you're not in Christ. But if you suddenly see a new sin, the Holy Spirit has revealed to you a new sin in your life, and you go, no, no, no, no, I don't want that in my life. Congratulations, you're in Christ. It's precisely the attitude. Remember, sanctification is a process. Think of yourself as an old beat-up hotel. And the Holy Spirit is going to come in and do a renovation project. This maybe isn't the best analogy, but let's go with it. He enters into the lobby and he cleans it up. He tends to do that. He cleans up the big, nasty sins in your life. But he's nowhere near done. Now he starts to open up doors and shine a light in a room where suddenly you go, covetousness? You mean wanting that guy's paycheck instead of my own? That's a sin. And then he opens up another door and he says, oh, wait a second. Look at that, what you've got going on. You've got pride in there. What? I've got pride. Does that mean you're not saved? No, it means you're being sanctified. Don't think you're suddenly out of Christ because there's a new sin in your life. You suddenly discover, you know, you've been kind of shading the truth a little bit. Oh, no, I'm not saved. Oh, no, yes, you are. You're just being sanctified.

34:28Question for you. You commit a sin. Do you think that you need to wait to talk to God? One of our songs actually talked about that. Do you feel that way sometimes? You know, I did, I was really severe with my spouse. Oh, that lustful thought. Again, I just let it go and I just ran with it. And suddenly you think, maybe I shouldn't go to church. Maybe I shouldn't pray to God. I'll just wait till tomorrow, as if somehow eight hours of sleep makes that sin disappear. Don't do that. You're in Christ. You're in Christ. He's the first person you should tell. Don't let him be the last person. So you can't be separated. As if then you can do something to clean yourself up to get reunited with him. You are in him. You cannot get separated. How do you get over these feelings? How do you get over this? Look at Romans 8:15.

35:31Romans 8:15. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you've received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father, the Spirit testifying. And if we're his children, we're his heirs, verse 17. Heirs with Christ. Heirs with Christ. You're an heir of God. Did you know that? It's not because you deserved the inheritance. It's given to Christ and He shares it with you. And please don't. Notice what he says in the beginning. You shouldn't have this spirit of fear because you've been adopted. This is a doctrine. I suspect Cardinal Robert Bellerdine wouldn't like this theology either. But the doctrine of adoption, the Puritans used to say this is the most glorious doctrine in the Bible, that you have been adopted. I heard an illustration. You can find all kinds of holes in it, rightly so, otherwise, it wouldn't be an illustration. But this whole sin battle in your life that maybe rocks your assurance, remember the doctrine of adoption. Here's what you, we're going to make a grilled cheese sandwich. You got two pieces of bread, you got a piece of cheese. On one side, the piece of bread is justification, the other piece of bread is sanctification. The cheese in the middle that keeps them separated, that's adoption. Don't forget the doctrine of adoption if you're wobbly in your security, because the doctrine of adoption says, I don't need to do anything. I'm secure in the Father. I'm his child. What child thinks that I've got to keep doing something or I'll no longer be his son? Even with a rotten dad, you're just his son. Same thing is true with the father. It's your adoption that keeps you from thinking, I've got to maintain, I've got to work, it's conditional, I've got to keep this thing up, I've got to try, I can't be sinning, I've got to do these works. Nope, you've been adopted. And it keeps justification rightly separated from sanctification. Now that you remember that you are. Secure in God because you've been adopted. Now you do the sanctification work. Now you get busy for the Lord, but you don't get busy for the Lord to please the Father because you've been adopted. Don't forget the glorious doctrine of adoption. Maybe you were abandoned as a child.

37:50You maybe have a spouse that abandoned you, and this whole thing is just very difficult for you to, well, frankly, enjoy. May I say again, get used to it? You've been adopted, and God's not going to abandon you. He just doesn't break his promises. He's not going to leave you. He's not going to forsake you. He saves you to the uttermost. And if there's a condition placed on it, it's not to the uttermost at all. You have been adopted into God's family. Let me read to you from the 1689 London Baptist Confession.

38:23Those whom God has accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and given the precious faith of His elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved, and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be taken from His hand, off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon. Notwithstanding, listen to the words of these Puritans, notwithstanding. Notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity. If you have storms and floods, you're secure.

39:32God might be disciplining you through your storm, but he's not doing this because he's just had enough with you and he's going to just start the hell process right now and just give it to you. Don't be deceived by that. But be careful with this one, too. This is a dangerous message. Don't be deceived by your doubts. I don't like the term unbelief because I think unbelief indicates you don't have belief. And I think that's the way we should look at it. Do you ever get a streamer thought, a doubtful thought? Doubt is not disbelief. It's different. You have doubts. Who didn't? Didn't Peter, when he denied Jesus Christ? Didn't Thomas get called doubting Thomas? No, it wasn't unbelieving Peter. It wasn't unbelieving Thomas. It was that they were doubters. And that's maybe your situation. Now, how do you get rid of that, though? Because you don't want those. Well, maybe, maybe this is a good way to think of it, kind of the negative. But when you get those doubts and think, oh, I'm not saved anymore. You know what you're doing? You're calling God a liar.

40:34Doubt is not a good thing that we should strive for. Doubt is sin. We're doubting the promises of God. And I think that's the key for us today, and that's where I'd like to close. Would you turn your Bible, please, to Matthew 16? Matthew 16. Context, context, context. Jesus has done a myriad of miracles. He's fed 5,000. He's fed 4,000. And the disciples have seen it all. Matthew 16, 8 through 10. Aware of their discussion, asking, well, how are we going to feed all these people? They've just seen well over 10,000 people fed. And Jesus says, You have little faith. Why are you talking amongst yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Here it is. Don't you remember the five loaves for the 5,000? Don't you remember what I've done? Do you forget that quickly? That's our key to being constantly secure in Christ. We need to remember this stuff. We don't empty our brains like mindfulness. We fill our brains with these truths and we just remember them. What do you remember? Remember the Swamp that God pulled you out of. Remember that. Remember what you used to think like. Now, what do you think like? We were talking about movies last night. I gathered the kids to watch the old 1973 Poseidon adventure movie. Wow, it was foul and filthy. Wow, how come I didn't remember that? I wasn't in Christ then. Didn't bother me a bit when I was a kid. Swearing, whatever. Now it's like, yeeks. Because I'm in Christ. I need to remember. I used to be a different guy, and so did you. You were a different gal than you are. Remember that. Remember, you have a heavenly Father who will not abandon you, that you're a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Remember that you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit. Remember that Jesus Christ, even now, is making intercession for you right now. And the Holy Spirit is praying for you with grumblings and moanings right now. It has been said that if you could hear the Holy Spirit pray for you, you'd never be afraid again in your life. Remember that. Remember, like the Ephesians and Revelation chapter 2, when you first got saved. Now, this is where it can get a little tricky for us because maybe you're at the point in your Christian walk where you look back and you go, well, I don't have that same high that I did when I got saved. And maybe you've been led to think, okay, I've kind of trickled off with my affections. I'm not remembering them. It doesn't mean that you've lost your affections. If anybody has been married for more. Than 10 years. Ask yourself the question: when was the last time you were like giddy, tingly about your spouse? Do you remember? I remember standing at the nobody prepared me for this. I remember turning and looking, and down came my bride, and I like was what? I don't know what that is. It just takes you over, and you just cry, and you're just so in love. Okay, I don't do that anymore. Does that mean I don't love my wife anymore? Absolutely not. It's been replaced by something deeper. And it's okay in your Christian walk if you're not tingly.

44:08It's just make sure that it's been replaced by a deeper love, a more profound love for God. Don't be deceived like so many in the charismatic movement that you got to be, you know, you've got to be on fire. You've always got to be buzzed. That's just a lot of work to maintain that. Watch your emotions. If you are loving God more today than yesterday, but it's not quite the same feeling, that's actually okay. Don't be deceived by that. Charles Spurgeon said: if believers are lost, God loses more than they do, for he loses his honor, he loses his character for truthfulness, and the glory of his name is tarnished. It's not going to happen. Do you sometimes wonder if you're outside of Christ because you repented and believed, but you maybe don't think you repented enough?

45:00I just don't know that I was really sorrowful enough. I don't know that I'm believing enough. Can I just tell you, you're not, and you didn't. None of us did. But what size faith qualifies you for heaven? Mustard seed. Of course, you didn't repent enough. You can't. You would have to be just flagellating yourself constantly in sackcloth and ashes. We're so totally depraved. But have you turned from your wicked ways and placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have, you're in Christ and you are secure. Don't look at how well you did at conversion because you didn't do well enough. But your conversion wasn't wrought by you, it was predestined by God. You were called, you were justified, you were sanctified, and you were glorified, and you're going nowhere. But please note this: it is predicated on our prepositional phrase at the end of Romans 8:39. If you're in Christ, are you in Christ? Are you in Christ? Have you repented and placed your faith in him? Then you're in.

46:08But there may be people here who are not in Christ. Can I tell you, none of this sermon has been for you? Here, you'll take this and you'll just abuse this and run with it. Hope God's good with me. Woo-hoo-hoo! Off to the race as you go. Uh-uh. If you're not in Christ, God does not speak a benediction over your life, he speaks a malediction. You're under judgment, you're under his wrath. You're living in the curse, and you're going to face this furious God on Judgment Day. And right this second, he commands you and invites you to flee from the wrath that is to come. Stop with your striving. Stop with your work righteousness. Stop trying to do things that are going to make you fit for heaven. You can be made fit if you will run to Jesus Christ and be sheltered from the storm by being in Him. No excuses, my friend. No excuses. These verses that you have just heard that God offers you everything, not some stuff. He offers you everything that is good. He offers you Himself, the best thing of all. He offers you forgiveness. He offers you a cleansed conscience. He offers you everlasting life. He offers you adoption as His child. Why would you not repent and put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are here today and you are not, and you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Today could be the day of salvation where you join throngs of people who will be glorified because we are eternally secure in Christ Jesus our Lord.

47:58Let's pray. Our Father, we have your promise that you who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus our Lord. Your word promises that you are able to keep us from stumbling and to present us before your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Help us to remember that. Help us to believe more and more. Help us not to be shaken by every wind and wave that comes along, including our own thoughts, our own doubts. Thank you for the good news that we are in Christ and no one can snatch us from his hand. It's in his name we pray. Amen.