Jesus' Most Outrageous Sayings - They Shall Never Perish - Part 6

Well, as many of you know I was led to Christ by a street preacher named Bob Eckardt in Chapel Hill, North Carolina year was 1971. However, I really attribute my coming to Jesus Christ, not so much to this great preacher but rather to a dear African-American lady who served as my housekeeper for the first 17 1/2 years of borrowing all of my life. Her name was Cora Lee Goodman and this dear woman prayed for me for 21 years. As far as I know she's the only follower of Christ. Whoever prayed for me before I actually came to know Jesus as my personal savior and I believe that I'm a follower of Christ today because of the prayer life of this dear woman. Now, four years after I came to Christ in 1975 Corley Goodman was here in the hospital in the in Washington dying of cancer and I went to visit her and I remember as part of the visit.

I said to her, you know, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again in heaven, and she turned to me and said well I really hope so.

And I said what you mean by that and she said well I really hope it when I die, I am going to heaven folks.

I was flabbergasted as a young believer. I was on that here was a lady would lead me, prayed me into the kingdom of God and she lying on her deathbed wasn't even 100% sure that when she died she was going to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven and so I have the wonderful privilege of taking the Bible out and right there in her hospital room sharing with her that as a follower of Jesus Christ. Her place in heaven was utterly secure and had been ever since the first day she trusted Christ as their personal savior. Now I believe that there are people all over America exactly alike. Corley Goodman, that is, they have indeed really trust in Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

But they're missing the joy that comes from knowing that their place in heaven is utterly and eternally secure, and that's what I want to talk to you about today. Remember, we're in a series entitled Jesus's most outrageous sayings were going to the gospel accounts in the New Testament picking out 12 of the most radical things Jesus never said and then spending a week on each one of them answering the question.

Well, so what now, we've already done. Five. If you missed plenty of them get the tape for the CD from our bookstore today were ready for number six and so if you brought your Bible today. I like to invite you to turn with me to John chapter 10 Matthew Mark Luke John chapter 10 if you did not bring your Bible and your here in our main auditorium reach right under the armrest next to you and will find a copy of the Bible were to be on page 760, page 760 in our copy or John 10 in your copy now is returning. Let me just to remind you that here in John chapter 10 the Lord Jesus is explaining his relationship to us as believers by using the imagery of a shepherd in his relationship to his sheet and so let's look beginning in verse 11 Jesus said I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In other words, Jesus is saying that just like a good human shepherd is willing to sacrifice his life for the physical welfare of history. Jesus says so I as the ultimate good shepherd.

I am willing to sacrifice my life for the spiritual welfare of my seat.

He goes on verse 17 I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

Verse 18 I have the authority to lay my life down and I have the authority to take it up again.

This authority I have received from my father. Now of course what Jesus is talking here about is first of all, the cross where he is going to lay his life down and then of course the resurrection where he has the authority to take his life back up again will a little later, the Jewish leaders come to him and they asked him a straight up question verse 24 they say okay we listen to you.

So tell us now plainly once and for all. Are you the Messiah Jesus answered verse 25. I did tell you plainly but you did not believe me because you are not part of my seat and then Jesus now says one of the most outrageous things in anybody's ever said, he says, verse 27 my C hear my voice, which is why you guys don't hear my voice as you're not one of them, but my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me watch and I do them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Now look at what Jesus says here in this verse he says. First of all, that eternal life is a gift.

It's not something you and I do we do nothing we do to get eternal life, and therefore Jesus goes on to say there is nothing you and I can do to lose eternal life because it's a gift. And Jesus says it's a gift that he never ever takes back once he's given it.

This is why Jesus declares I give them eternal life, and they my followers can never perish not think about it for a moment if there were anything you and I as followers of Christ could do to lose our eternal life to lose our place in heaven. Even 1 Crazy Way out off the wall thing, then Jesus could not have used the word, never hear he could've said, I give my followers eternal life, and they will almost never perish.

He could've said, I give them eternal life, and they will in most cases never perish. He could've said, I give them eternal life in the inlet they do something really stupid. They won't perish, but they Jesus and say that wouldn't say he said and they shall never perish. And by saying that Jesus makes it crystal clear that as followers of Christ.

There is nothing anything not in the universe that you and I can ever do, no matter how radical, no matter how extreme, no matter how offensive to God that will cost us our eternal life or our place in heaven. Remember there's nothing you did to get your eternal life so there's nothing you can do to lose it. You say okay lawn well.

I understand that I really do. But what if somebody else comes along and takes my turn life away from yummy. What the devil comes along and he takes it away from me is not possible. Well, Jesus covers that just for you were worried about that, he says, look what he says. Verse 28 and 29 he says no one can snatch my sheep out of my hand. My father, who gave my sheep to me is greater than anybody and no one can snatch my seat out of his samples. When Jesus Christ says that as a follower of Christ. You will never perish. Let me just tell you, you take that event.

Nathan will see which civilian but you know your pulling an awful lot at a one word never. I mean you're taking is one word and making it walk on all fours. Maybe a little bit. I mean, are you sure the rest of the Bible supports that what you're teaching here about eternal security. Well yes I am and let me show you that before we do it. Let's define eternal security. Eternal security is a phrase the two words never appear in the Bible, but they describe the truth. It does appear in the Bible. Eternal security means that when a person embraces Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

When they placed their trust in the blood of Jesus shed on the cross to be there only covering for sin there only payment for sin there only entry ticket into heaven that at that moment, God immediately gives that person salvation, eternal life guaranteed spot in heaven and their salvation is eternally secure, regardless of what that person may do or not do. From that point on.

In other words, the Bible teaches that our eternal life and our place in heaven is based not on human performance, which changes day by day, and moment by moment, but it is based upon what Jesus did for us on the cross, which never changes. Now let's see if the rest of the Bible teaches this true John chapter 5 verse 24.

Here's what Jesus said. He said whoever hears my word and believes in me has present tense eternal life, and that person will not be condemned. Watch for he or she has crossed over from death into eternal life, not the key to understanding this verse is the verb has crossed over the verb literally means to move your place of residence to change your address to move and what the Bible is telling us is that when you and I trust in Jesus and a real impersonal way we change our address we moved our residents from a place called eternal death to a place called eternal life. But there's more. The tense of the verb it's used here has crossed over his perfect tense and great. This is an unusual tense is not used very often in the New Testament. So when it's used it's significant. What is the perfect tense mean the perfect tense in Greek talks about a completed action that then has a result, the goes all the way on into infinity that is on change that is irreversible and that is permanent we can diagram the pro-perfect tense by putting a big.up on the screen and saying this represents some past, completed action, and then drawing a line all the way into infinity saying this represents the ongoing irreversible permanent result of that, you say lawn.

God bless you up there we can come in for grammar lesson you were out of a high school son what what is the point.

Well here's the point.

And now you got enough grammar. You know enough Greek grammar to understand what I'm about to tell you. Let's go back and let's read translate John 524, in light of knowing that the perfect tense is used there.

All right, to give you the RSV translation that is the revised Solomonic version of this verse but here we go. If that is the person who believes in me, Jesus says, has eternal life and will never be condemned for that person. Here comes the perfect tense has crossed over is crossed over and always will be crossed over from eternal death into eternal life. When we embrace Jesus Christ as our personal savior, God irreversibly transfers us from a state of eternal death to a state of eternal life, and there is no going back.

Ever.

End of story. It's done. Or as Jesus said in John chapter 10 I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. There's no going back now you're here today and you never trusted Jesus in a real impersonal way. This is important information for you know that when you give your life to Jesus Christ. He transfers her place of residence.

As far as he's concerned from a place of eternal death, which is where you are now and that's not a good place to be to a place of eternal life that you can't ever lose or forfeit friends. I don't understand what every body in the universe. Once that deal is explained to them done. Take it because it's the greatest offer ever made to the human race if you're here today and you've never taken God up on that offer.

My question to you is what in the world is holding you up. What in the world is stopping you. You need to grab. This is a great deal ever offered to you or any other human being. Take is that we know lawn. I've actually run into a lot of people who say I don't think anybody can really know for sure that they're going to heaven like that. Well, that's not what God says in the Bible as a matter fact God says the exact opposite. First John chapter 5 verse 13 I am writing to you. John says who believe in Jesus Christ, so that you may wonder what the next word no. For certain that you have eternal life friends.

God says in the Bible it will for every follower of Christ to know for certain that they're going to heaven is six that everyone of us knows that God wants us to be certain he wants us to be definite. He wants us to be confident.

He wants us to be convinced and he wants us to be utterly sure about the fact that when we breathe our last breath here on this earth. The next breath we take will be on the shores of heaven, and there is not one single thing you or anybody else can do to change that.

Praise Lord for that, because if you could mess it up you will and so what I I'm glad God gave me a plan to get to heaven I could mess up if I tried to mess it up.

Nor can you because that's the only hope you and I gotta get there and that's exactly the kind of plan he gave my sheep will never appear as Jesus said, that's just the way it is.

That's as far as we want to go on the passage right now because it's time for us to ask the most important question and you know what that question is.

I know you had a couple weeks off so you little rusty.

I understand that. So come on, Alex agrees that often.

Here we go. 123 Ceylon someone side. I think I got that another.the line was a little much but I think I got what you trying to say there but doesn't want differences that make my life with friends. I think it makes a huge difference to me talk to you about this before you leave here today. I want you to understand something very important I want you to understand that your salvation, your eternal life. Your place in heaven is not based on some feeling that you have is not based on some experience that you have. It's not based on some heightened consciousness or some exalted state of mind that you have your eternal life in your salvation is based on a legal covenant a legal contract that God makes with you and every other believer who comes to Jesus Christ, to put it another way, the foundation of our eternal security is based on the legal covenant that God makes with everyone of us as followers of Jesus Christ.

This is why God says.

Hebrews 1016 and this is the legal covenant that I will make every follower of Christ.

Now what are some of the terms of this covenant will the first term that we found out about in John 524 is that this covenant is irreversible that this covenant is a revocable that this covenant is permanent. Once it's made, there is nothing you and I can ever do to change it or to revoke it. But then there's more terms that the Bible tells about let me tell you some of the other terms of this contract that God makes with you when you come to Christ on the Bible tells us about Hebrews 1017 that our sins and lawless deeds, God will remember no more. What a great term of the contract. He tells us also. Philippians 43 that is a term of the contract are names are now inscribed in the Lamb's book of life.

Another term Micah chapter 7 verse nine God tells us that he buries our sins in the depths of the sea and the good thing is he puts up a little buoy) says no fish in. That's a great thing.

Another term of the contract. Romans eight. One is that there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Another term, Galatians 46 we now become God – show adopted children.

I'm gonna preach a whole message on outcome it up, according to first Corinthians 619.

We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit himself. Another term of the contract. Romans 833 we are granted permanent immunity from prosecution for our sins in the courtroom of God.

Another term, Romans 838 nothing can ever separate us now from God's unconditional love and finally, there are more, but this is the last one I'm to share with you. Ephesians 113 another term of the contract is that God brands are with his permanent seal of ownership of the verse says, having believed in Jesus Christ, you were marked literally you were branded with a seal, the promise Holy Spirit, not about you guys but I level Western I love John Wayne I love Clint Eastwood I love to be stored and and and I lovingly don't get any better than a Saturday afternoon.

Lying at home all afternoon in the bed watching old Westerns. That's, I think you you still overall hi do you guys ever watch rawhide by some of you too young to remember the series but you remember the song the blues Brothers saying it in the movie rolled and rolled and rolled and keep them doggy's role in rawhide member to move mouse move mouse hit a bulkhead about move out.

Wrong song, well in all these old Westerns you remember what they do when you hold an animal, what did you do to show everybody in the world you own the animal would you do, you branded and that's exactly right and what the Bible tells us is that God brands every single one of us who comes to Christ, so that every angel, every demon the devil himself. Everybody in the universe knows whose property we now are thanked the Lord he doesn't use a hot poker thanked the Lord he uses the indwelling Holy Spirit, but he puts his brand on us. That's part of the contract and you don't want to branded an animal you could never ever get that brand off will.

God doesn't take his brand away either. Friends, this is the wonderful contract to God makes with you and me and every follower of Christ.

So in order to lose our salvation in order to lose our eternal life in light of this contract. I want you to think what would have to happen number one for us to lose heaven and eternal life.

Someone would have to test the indwelling Holy Spirit out of you and me. Number two, someone would have to eradicate God's brand from your home life number three for you to lose your salvation.

Someone would have to cancel your adoption papers as a child of God number four for you to lose your salvation. Someone would have to talk God into remembering your sins and your lawless deeds once more when he says he is not going to do it. Number five for you to lose your salvation. Someone would have to sneak up into heaven and a race. Your name out of the Lamb's book of life. When God is not watching. Number six for you to lose your eternal life. Someone has to talk God into rewriting Romans 81 so that it now reads, therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ, except in the following circumstances number seven. If you were going to lose your eternal life. Someone would have to scuba dive down and read your sins up from the depths of the ocean. Number eight, someone would have to turn you from a sheep to a goat in the side of Almighty God.

Number nine.

None somebody would have to snatch you out of the hand of Jesus Christ himself, and most important of all for you and me to lose our salvation. Someone would have to make a liar out of Almighty God, because he made a binding contract with you and me saying he would never do any of these 10 things we just named 10 things he would have to do if indeed you and I could lose our place in heaven. The point is this. When you are not genuinely believed in Jesus Christ God. At that moment ratified consummated a legal contract a legal covenant with you and me a covenant that is irreversible. A covenant that is revocable, a covenant that is permanent covenant, among other things, that guarantees us eternal life in heaven without equivocation. They sell our lawn will stop stop stop. Okay I see what you which say you know what I got through questions about a lot of this stuff for example, what about personal claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ but they live like the devil. What about that person. They still going to heaven along what about a person who claims that they once were. Follower of Jesus Christ.

But now they've rejected him, renounced him and going on are they going to heaven and lawn. What about the fact that sometimes I don't really feel like I've got eternal life.

Even though I think I am a real follower of Christ. I don't feel like I'm going to heaven sometime in one if I'm eternally secures a follower of Christ. If I can't lose heaven. But does that mean it's okay for me to go live. Anyway, I feel like living the wrong field to cheat to sleep around and do whatever I feel like it because I'm going to heaven anyway.

Is that okay with God friends as requested and you know what their answers to the mom I can answer them this morning but I'm to send you out to the bookstore if you got those questions to pick up a CD that I've already done from the spiritual boot camp series called some eternal security questions and will answer every single one of those questions on that CD for you. You go out there and you pick it up and will answer your questions friends these these. This is the fabulous news of the Bible is that you and I have a relationship with God that is secure.

You know, my youngest son Jonathan plays baseball for a college baseball in place for Johns Hopkins up in Baltimore and I went up onto CM to play on Friday afternoon and after the game we went out we were talking and as we were sitting at dinner.

He said to me well. He said, was telling me about a guy on the team who was a junior would work two years hard to get a starting spot and then he started for the first half of the season and he really didn't hit very well and really didn't play all that well, and he lost a starting spot how discouraged this kid was and I said you know John. It's really sad you know that I feel bad for the kid and and and he said will dad but you know what he said if you play athletics you get used to the fact that it's all about the numbers that it's all about performance.

There is no such thing as security when you're playing baseball and you know I got to thinking about that on the way home and I thought that's just not true about sports rent that's true about life.

I mean, the military you get a couple bad fitness reports and guess what, there goes your career is true in business you post some bad profit numbers for a couple quarters you watch what happens to your job.

It's true in school you get bad grades and parents.

I and I'm going to help you on this.

You get bad grades if you're a teenager in here, particularly in your junior year and you can get that college you want to go to goodbye. You guys study yeah all right, well whatever okay I'm trying to help you if your mom and dad here, I'll give you some support pagan relationships. You say the wrong thing to somebody at the wrong time or do the wrong thing. You can lose a friend in a heartbeat.

You can lose a neighbor in a heartbeat. Folks, this is a tough world is no security in this world would be great if there were something in this world. It was peculiar and unchanging, and that we could count on regardless of our performance, whether went up or down her all around. Whoa, that's the great news of the Bible. The great news of the Bible is there is something in this world that we can count on that is secure, regardless what happens to our human performance and it is our eternal life.

It is our place in heaven. It is our covenant.

Our contract with Almighty God. There is nothing you can do to mess this up. There is nothing you can do to lose this and I'm here to challenge you to believe God when he tells you this and enjoy to do yourself a favor and believe what God tells you and really enjoy your relationship with Christ.

And so in closing, let me say that if you're follower of Jesus Christ you're going home today on the Beltway and some idiot kills on the Beltway.

Don't worry about it because when you breathe your very last breath here on earth God's promise to you is that the very next breath you breathe will be on the shores. I haven't in your performance that matter even if you were speeding when you got killed you still going to have if you go out to lunch after you come to church here today and you choke to death on your shrimp cocktail, don't worry about it because the last breath you breathe here on earth, trying to bring to that the shrimp the next breath you breathe is going to be on the shores I heaven, it doesn't even matter if your doctor told you not to eat shrimp.

It's okay if you are watching baseball this summer in the Cubs win the World Series and you have a heart attack.

It's okay because the next breath you breathe is going to be on the shores I heaven even if you're a Red Sox fan. It's okay on and finally you come home, ladies. One day, your husband starts to tell you how much he cares about you starts telling you how you complete him and starts telling you about how much he appreciates you and he asked you to take a moment to sit down and tell them all about your day and you have a stroke. So why because you're going to happen and is nothing you can do to mess it up. This is the great news of the Bible and you're going to heaven. Why not because of your performance.

No no no. You're going to heaven because Jesus made a contract with you and Jesus keeps his word, wonderful thing to know in our world. Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 13 one of the greatest verses in the Bible even when we are faithless, which happens sometimes God remains faithful.

He cannot deny himself.

Friends Jesus going to keep his word to you. That's the basis of our eternal security wonderful thing to have in this life. I hope you'll enjoy spring father, thanks for reminding us today that our relationship with Christ. Our eternal life. Our eternal security is based upon the character of Almighty God. The fact that when he makes a deal he keeps it and has nothing to do with our perform, and I pray that you would think that truth deeply into every one of us here so deeply that it changes the way we relate to you and it changes the way we think about our everyday Christian experience.

What a wonderful thing it is to know that even though at school, at work in relationships are performance can really cost us. It's wonderful to know that in our relationship with Almighty God is not based on and so Lord bring a joy to our life that comes from knowing we are eternally secure in our place with Christ, thank you for Jesus saying I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish or help us rejoice in that.

I pray in Jesus name God's people said have a great day. Question